Reiko
by Rev-Ninx
Summary: *Chapter 15 is UP!* Reiko, a child of an unknown born and Rei, a deserter of the royalty were brought together to face the truth behind their past and reconciled with the one they love when unexpected enemies had arisen. *Rei x Minako*
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 01: Prologue**

**-Year 438: Venus- **

It was a dark and eerie night. Venus was nothing but a cold and dry land in the darkness, and adding the thick fog only made it eerier. Any Venusian knew to not travel at night or even step their foot outside their house. However, that night, sound of hustled footsteps was heard. In the thick fog, revealed a figure in a black robe, running to the endless foggy land. The figure was not alone. A group of cavalier with their pacing horses was not far behind.

Then, the figure stopped when she realized what in front of her. It was the edge of a cliff. Far down, she could see a thin line of river. It was a dead end. The figure in the hood turns to see the enemy has surrounded her. There was no way to run.

"Give us what we want and you shall be left alive"

The figure blue eyes looked them with pride and calmness. She tightened her arm around the bundle.

"Never"

That the last word they heard from her as the figure stepped back to the cliff. The enemy tried to catch her but they were too late. By the time they reached the edge, she had gone to the bottomless abyss.

**-6 Years later: Month 2 Year 444: Earth-**

A small figure was running on the wet street of Neo Olde Tokyo, the capital city of the Earth Alliance. The robe that the figure wore was wet by the. Under the wet hood, hoarse breath could be heard from her extensive exercise. To her, it was not exercise. It was about life and death.

Then, she stopped, thinking that she was far from getting caught when she actually near the trouble itself.

"Gotcha, young lady"

The girl turned to the source of the voice. She shrieked as the man in blond hair walking towards her with dagger in his hand.

"Don't worry; I will make it quick and painless"

Before the man was able to strike, a woman appeared from the sky and landed between the man and the small figure. Her long raven hair flew gracefully upon her wet cape and her masculine clothing was still showing her slender figure. Her dark amethyst eyes were staring fiercely at the man in front of her.

"Well, well, it's not your lucky day, pal"

The man dumbstruck as he saw the well-know raven hair and dark amethyst eyes. "M-Martian!"

Without reply, the woman sped to the man and slashed her hidden dagger through him. Seconds later, the man dropped dead on the wet ground. The woman looked at the man in disgust and then looked at the 'prey' that man was after. The small figure hid behind the crates, crying between the sounds of falling rain.

The savior walked toward the small figure. As she approached her, she knew that every step she made scarred the little fellow. Once she was close enough, the raven woman bent down and voiced out her soft voice.

"It's okay now, no one is going to hurt you"

The small figure still cried in fear when her hood fell down. The raven woman surprised. She could see that the little figure was merely a child, about five or six. What surprised her more was her hair. It was the most beautiful blond hair she ever seen.

Suddenly, an image of the exact same hair came to her mind. Then, she felt another presence behind her. She turned around to see a girl with long raven hair appeared out of nowhere. The girl stood far apart from the woman and the blond girl. Rei blinked her eyes a few times and the girl disappeared to her surprise.

'_What was that about?'_ the raven hair woman shrugged her head, wondering why she had to remember it again. They had to get out of the rain before she got sick and so does the girl. She stopped her trail of thoughts and returned her attention to the blond girl. "Where are your parents?"

No answer.

"Do you know where you live?"

Still, no answer.

"I'm going to bring you somewhere dry so you won't get sick"

The woman just signed. She understood how the girl felt, fear and loneliness. She looked up and seemed the rain was not going to stop anytime soon. She took off her cape and something from her belt. It was a small dagger. The girl alerted when she saw the weapon and suddenly she was warped with Rei's cape.

"There! That should warm you up and take this", the girl saw the small dagger from before on Rei's palm. "I know it is hard to trust stranger so I entrust you my favorite dagger, it's called Aphrozakroz". The woman placed the weapon on the little palm. She was just staring on the weapon, mesmerized by the shining stones decorated upon it.

"Beautiful isn't it? I entrust you with it so use it well, understands?"

"Yes", the voice almost inaudible but Rei still caught it.

She smiled at the girl and held hand out. "My name is Rei, what's yours, Chibi-chan?"

The girl looked up and for the first time, Rei noticed the girl's eyes. She has similar colors like hers, big round dark amethyst. She never saw other people to have that color, not in Earth at least. Both of them looked surprised and no one knew who more surprise than whom is.

This time, the girl spoke clearly. "Um, can you say your name again?"

That was the first time Rei heard the girl voice. It was still a little hoarse from the crying but her tears had dried up. The woman smiled and did what the girl asked.

"It's Rei"

Once the girl heard it clearly this time, she smiled back to Rei. "That's just sound like mine!"

"Eh?"

"My name is Reiko"

**Author's note:**

Thanks a lot for reading! Well, the story just started, not much to reveal so just wait for the second chapter :) Rei meets Reiko? That should be interesting right? Hehehe…

Pls review!


	2. Chapter 2: Destiny

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 02: Destiny**

-**Year 444: Earth**-

A woman signed while looking at the window. She pushed her shoulder length black hair behind her ear, clearly showing her worried blue eyes under her long eye lashes. Agitated, she crossed her arms and walking away from the window to the fire place that she just started few minutes ago. She turned to the window again. The rain seemed not going to stop anytime soon and the anxious feeling grew even more.

When she heard steps on the wooden floor outside porch, she walked quickly towards the entrance. She opened the door and relieve was the only word she had in her mind to see the person she has been waiting for. But to her amazement, she was not alone.

Rei stood in front of her while carrying a big bundle on her back covered with Rei's cape. The raven entered the house hastily. "Mineru, prepare the guestroom"

The woman named Mine looked at the raven woman, confused and what surprised her more was when she realized the bundle turned out to be a little girl. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later, she has fever right now"

They went to the guestroom and Rei placed Reiko on the bed. The black hair woman exited the room right away while Rei sat down on the bed, looking at the unconscious girl. The girl's eyes were wet not from the rain but from the tear. She had been mumbling incoherently and crying in her sleep, like she had a nightmare. She hated seeing the child crying. It's not like she hated the child but to see her in that state somehow reminded her of the sadness and loneliness in her past.

Then her thoughts disturbed by Mineru who just came back from taking some dry clothes and medicine for the little girl.

"Let me change her clothes and you better change as well. I don't want to have two sick people in the house", Mine said teasingly.

She pushed the raven out the room and Rei obediently followed. She went to the bathroom and had a hot bath. She felt refresh with having her body in the hot water. She closed her eyes and the image of the girl with a long raven hair in the rain before came up. She opened her eyes slowly and messaged her temple thoroughly. The cold rain water might have giving her brain freeze and made her seeing things. Things that she had been buried deep in her heart.

Then she was startled by the sudden knock on the bathroom door and Mineru's head popped up from the door.

"Are you okay, Rei? You've been in there for quiet sometime"

"Sorry, I was a little off. I'm going out now-"

Rei was about to get up from the tub when the black hair woman stopped her and pushed her back into the tub. Then, she realized Mine isn't wearing anything but towel.

"What's the hurry? Can I join you?" Mine gave smile slyly.

The raven just grinned as she watched black head in front of her loose the towel and entered the tub. She grabbed Mine's hand and pulled her into her embrace. Rei looked up to face-to-face with Mine while her other hand exploring the other woman body. She pulled her into a kiss, forcing the smaller woman to bend on her knee, closing the distance between their bodies as their naked skins pressing against each other.

Rei pulled away from the kiss and whispered, "You know that we have a kid in the house, right?"

"A little fun won't hurt, right?"

With that reply, Rei just laughed off and pulled the woman for another passionate kiss.

* * *

"_Reiko, don't go too far", a woman in a long silver hair sat as she saw a little girl not too far from her playing in the flowers' field._

_The blond girl turned to smile at the woman and answered. "Yes, Nene-ba-san!"_

_The little girl saw a butterfly flying around and decided to follow it. Then, suddenly a man appeared and grabbed her into a dark world. _

"_You are coming with me little one"_

"_Help! Nene! Help me!"_

_Once the man released her from the blindness, she was thrown into a dark room. Tears started swelling on her eyes. She was scared of what happened. She could only hear the sound of horses pulling a carriage. She had lost track of time and before she knew it, she was being thrown for the second time into a cold room where stillness was her only company until…_

"_I've brought the girl, Sir", she heard her kidnapper spoke. She looked at the other direction to find a man wearing a mask appears. _

"_You sure it's her?" the mask man asked with stern and cold voice._

"_Very positive, Sir"_

_The mask man grabbed her face and had closer look. Reiko could see the mask man's blue eyes. "Amethyst eyes…" The man observed a little longer, giving an unpleasant smile. "You just look like her… kill her" _

_She heard the man's last word and it made her more frighten. She deliberately bit the man's hand. She heard the man's scream and when he pulled his hand away, Reiko ran as fast she could._

"_Nene! Help! HELPPP!"_

_She was panicked and scared. She felt like her body was numb. She could not run or move. She could only scream and scream endlessly. _

"HELP! Neneeee!"

Then her scream stopped as she felt a familiar warm hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see the raven woman from last night sitting by the bed. The smile on the woman face somehow calmed the little girl.

"It's okay, Reiko, no one will hurt you here"

"Y-you…"

"It's Rei… I want you to rest, you had a fever last night"

Reiko looked at the woman opposite her. Suddenly, tears started to pour in the little girl eyes. Rei was surprised. She did not know what to do. The little girl was tensed when she felt the raven woman encircled her petite figure in her arms. "It's okay…"

The girl was not sure to do but she felt comfort and safe in the Rei's arms. She missed those warm feeling. Rei could feel the girl was loosen up and went to hug her back, continued crying in the raven's arm.

Rei let the girl cried and gave a soft pat on her hair. Only the sound of rain accompanied the girl's tears. She pitied the child. She was too young to facing this kind of experience. But it did not forget Rei's amiss feeling about her, wanting to know more about the girl.

Once she stopped crying, Rei began her investigation. "Who is Nene?"

Again, the little girl did not reply. Although Rei had waited, the answer never comes.

"Do you know where Nene is?"

Reiko pulled away, gave her a clearly bumpy look on her eyes, but the only answer Rei got was a brief head shaking. With that, Rei just signed. She did not know what she got herself into. She wanted to help Reiko but without any information about her family is or where they live to exact, it would take years to find her home.

The raven woman got up from the bed. She went by the window, messaging her temple, thinking desperately when Mineru disturbed her thought.

"Is she okay, Rei?" The black hair woman emerged. When she noticed the girl, she smiled at her. "Hi, Reiko, are you feeling alright?"

The girl just gave a nod. Much to Rei's expectation, she did not want to let know much about herself.

"Are you hungry?" Mineru continued and Reiko just shook her head again. Mineru still smiled regardless the girl less attempt to answer her. "Okay then, I'll let you rest again, just call me, Mine or Rei if you need anything"

Mineru pulled the raven out of the room. Rei seemed not too eager to leave the room yet but Mine insisted. "Good night, Reiko!"

"R-Rei-san"

They stopped when the girl called. Rei raised her eyebrow, surprised when the girl actually spoke but something else surprised her.

"What is it, Reiko? Do you need anything?" Mineru responded instead since Rei was not going to answer anytime soon.

Reiko looked hesitated at first but then decided to ask. "C-can I borrow your dagger again?"

Mineru looked surprised with the question but not for the raven. As for Rei, she took the dagger right away from her belt and gave to the girl. "Make sure you take care of it, okay?"

"Yes, Rei-san…"

"Well then, if you need anything, just let us know, okay? Good night"

Both adults went to the door. When Rei closed the door behind them, Mineru turned and looked at her.

"What was that about?" The black hair woman said in whisper.

"She was staying with stranger and of course she needs weapon to be safe"

"She is just a kid!"

"I know but she understood well what self-protection means… I would do the same in her position… I think it's like our instinct"

Aiko could not argue with the fact that Rei had a mysterious dark past that she never wanted to tell. "I guess so…"

Rei looked back to the room for the last time before she followed Mineru to the living room.

_

* * *

A man was walking alone in the raining street. He was moving slowly in his black cape into a dark alley. Under the black hood he wore, only a white mask was seen and grimace on his lips._

_He stopped when a giant man with almost disfigured appearance confronted him. The man was not scared by the presence of the other. The meeting was not a coincidence. They began to talk._

"_I need you to kill this girl"_

_The masked man threw a parchment to the hideous man's direction. He caught it with one hand and opened it, reading thoroughly. The man smiled as he finished reading the parchment. "Interesting…"_

"_It should not be hard to find her…"_

"_I can see that…"_

"_I will pay you once you have the girl dead"_

_The well groomed man was about to turn away when he suddenly stopped midway and stared through Rei's soul with his hatred blue eyes._

Rei opened her eyes, panting heavily. Her face was wet from the cold sweat and her hands were trembled. She just had a vision.

She noticed the rain was pouring harder and harder along with loud thunder and strong wind. Looking at the figure beside her, Mineru was sleeping soundly, undisturbed. Rei got up quietly and sat at the edge of the bed while messaging her temple.

It had been a long time since she had foreseen something. She condemned her power to see the unpredictable. She never thought that she would ever see it again. After all this time, she thought it has been sealed along with her power and the question in her mind was why now. Something must have disturbed it. While the Martian was anxious, what actually concerned her most was the girl in her vision.

She rose from the bed quietly and made her way to the guest bedroom where the girl she is concerned about in. Once she reached the bedroom's door, she noticed the door was opened and her vision could be right…

Quickly, she pushed the door and saw no one on the bed. She checked the room and all the girl's belongings was gone including her dagger as well.

'This is not good'

Rei ran back to the room hastily, preparing herself for the search. She took her sword and Mineru was awakened by the hustle.

"What is happening, Rei? Why are you dressed up?"

"She is gone, the girl"

"W-what?"

"I'm going to look for her"

"Do you know where she is going?"

"I don't know"

"But what if she's just going back home on her own?"

"No, she is not from somewhere around here, I'm sure of that. I'm going"

As soon as she stepped outside, Rei felt the coldness under the heavy rain but the racing heart and her burning head kept her warm and focus. All questions in her head came up to her. She could not believe the girl would run like that, knowing her life might be in danger. The young girl's identity was the possible primary reason why she was targeted.

Her thoughts stopped when she heard a scream and immediately, she fled to the other side of the town. The rain had given her disadvantage to her hearing. She could not hear where the girl actually located. She cursed the pouring water and gave her no choice.

Rei stopped from running and stood still in the middle of an intersection. She was taken a deep breath and closed her eyes. She hesitated at first but then concentrated her mind to seek the hidden power in the deepest depth of her soul. She felt like swimming in a pool of beautiful stones where memories, feelings and dreams lived inside it. From thousands of them, one stone gave out the brightest light amongst all. As she gets near, she saw the very same raven girl like herself inside the stone. When she touched it, the girl's eyes opened, showing her golden eyes.

As her soul blended, Rei's eyes flipped open with a new golden light shone from them. She did not move as she was getting her six senses to do the work. She felt the sound of the rain faded away, replace by stillness. The glimpse of dark buildings was disappeared, leaving only dark empty surrounding and green auras of the sleeping souls in Neo Olde Tokyo. When she saw a gold aura among them, emitting pure and warmth color, the Martian fled towards it right away. She also noticed that the aura glow began to darken, reflecting the owner's emotion, threaten and insecure.

When she found a dock full of parked cargo ship, an enormous man came into sight and decided to follow him into one of the cargo ship. As she had guess, Reiko was with him. He cornered the feared looking girl with an axe in his hand. Rei drew her own sword as her eyes turned back into amethyst. The man sensed her presence as she dashed towards him, ready to finish him off. It was not easy. He just reflected back her attack and Rei just threw back.

"YOU FOOL, TO THINK THAT YOU CAN ATTACK ME, THE RUTHLESS TITAN?"

"Ruthless you say? I would rather called you 'the obese Titan'"

The mockery only angered the giant and the sneer in Rei's face just made him angrier. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

He began to attack Rei with full forced. When the loud clang was heard, the giant could not believe his eyes to see the Martian was still standing with her sword stopped his large axe. Reiko looked at her savior, amaze how strong the small woman against the giant man. The surprised turned into fury; the man attacked Rei again and again, making a futile effort. As the raven saw the Titan got slower in his attacks, she took that moment to thrust into the man's flesh.

The yell of pain rang between the rains and blood ran from the man's left arm. He snapped from his pain and began to swing aimlessly. Rei avoided the attacks easily but she noticed the glint in the man's eyes and suddenly he swung his other axe, hidden in his belt as she felt a glint of cold steel upon her cheek. She moved backwards in time only to receive a small wound but The Titan took the time to kick her on the stomach, threw her inside the cargo ship. The turbulence gave Rei a little trauma on his head. Her vision was still blurry but could see the man came closer to the cargo ship entrance with Reiko mounted in her arms and axe in both hands.

"DON'T THINK I FORGOT ABOUT YOU, LITTLE BRAT. I'LL DEAL WITH YOU AFTER I KILL HER"

The painful screamed colored the night again but it was not Reiko's. The Titan screamed as he felt the Aphrozakroz's stab on his stomach. Rei's eyes glowed golden again. She felt the power overtook her and before she knew it, a fire bow formed in her left hand.

"YOU WRETHCHED KID! DIE!"

With speed of light, Rei raised the bow and her right hand drew a straight line to form a fire arrow. In the next two seconds, the man was already found lying dead on the ground with a burned hole on his chest.

Rei tried to breathe some air into her lung while looking at the lifeless man on the floor. She was trying to suppress her power as her eyes began to turn back slowly to normal. Still with gasping breath, she turned to the child behind her. Reiko was still taken back by whole things but Rei was not in compromise mood. She went to the girl and gripped her hand on the wrist, the staring between amethysts eyes began.

"Who are you?" Rei spoke with high voice, scaring the girl already.

"L-let me go!"

"How come you were hunted by the most dangerous hunter in the galaxy? And when you called me with an old language suffix, only someone from high class family able to learn such language-"

"I-I DON'T KNOW!"

Rei's anger was gone when the girl cried. With the raven's hand still on her, the girl just sat down on the metal surface, crying hard. As much as the Martian was confused with what has happened that night, the little girl was no less confused than her and scared as well. Rei was hit back into reality, after all she was facing with a little girl and the raven did not sense the girl was lying. She regretted her action and let her hand go. She felt horribly wrong and bent to see the girl face. "I'm sorry… I was just worried when you went missing… please, don't cry, okay?"

Suddenly she felt the ground was moving. "We have to get out of here"

The Martian picked up the girl and ran towards the entrance but it was too late. The gate was already been closed. The cargo ship had fled and brought the two extra passengers to the unknown destination where destiny awaits.

**Author's note:**

Hope u guys enjoyed the second chapter. I hope this one has fewer grammar problem (sorry about the first chapter ^_^')

Just to explain the 'Old language suffix' that Rei's mention, I chose not to use Japanese honorific (like –San, -Sama, etc) since it is going to be a different universe. I had the idea to use it as the old language called Motonian (like Latin) in this universe and only known to royal family and only some high class family since they have to study them.

Pls review!


	3. Chapter 3: Trust

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 03: Trust**

-**Year 444: Mars**-

The great city of Hino was the capital of Mars Kingdom where the city was built inside a giant wall. Surrounding the city's wall, the two main rivers, Phobos and Demos were located, making it even more impenetrable which make Hino the ideal place for Martian prominent political and military power. The people worshiped the great fire as their guide in the past, present and future. Temples were built around the city as means of protection and equipped with the fire ceremony for praying.

It was the busiest city in Mars. Houses were made of stone with steep roof on top and big roads were designed to avoid heavy traffic where people and carts passing around. Along the side of the road, tents were opened by merchants coming from all over Mars to sell their items. Many travelers came not only for business purposes but also for visiting as well.

In the center of the city was where the magnificent Hino castle stood proudly. As the final defense of the city, the castle was surrounded by high stone walls capped by white flat surface where the porthole for arrows located. Inside, it had several buildings where houses and stables provided for the imperial armies that assigned to the imperial post and some important people in the kingdom. A five-floor building was the only outstanding building that clearly seen from outside. It was made of beautiful white stone and designed with multiple tile-roofs. The distinguish building is where the Imperial family lived. The stunning yet intimidating beauty had drawn people attention including Reiko. She stood at the very bottom of the castle. She was too caught up with it and the hood of her head almost falling off.

"Be careful with your hood", the raven woman appeared and pulled the hood back roughly.

The little girl clearly surprised with the action and replied grumpily. "I was just looking at the castle, it's huge!"

"You've never seen castle before?"

"Not from near"

Rei looked at the girl confused. "Where did you live? I mean each planet has a castle in their capital city"

The girl did not answer and just kept looking at the huge building. The Martian signed at the girl's stubbornness. She kept silence about where she came from for unknown reason. Rei had been wondering about the girl's identity ever since they met. Every little thing she found out about the girl was not summed up especially the part where she knew Motonian language. Only the royal or high class family learned about it. If she was from a high class family and being targeted by kidnapper or assassin would make a sense but the fact she never saw a castle contradict everything. High class family would live in the capital city or if they lived outside the city, they would at least get a chance to see one.

Rei tried to shrug all the questions that need to be answered. She disliked the idea of them trapped in Mars to begin with. Her first priority was to send both of them back to Earth.

"Okay, enough sightseeing. Let's get out of here"

"Whaaaaat? But I want to see around!"

"We don't have time for that. What we have to do is to get you out of here", The Martian grabbed the girl's hand and started dragging the little girl away from the castle. Reiko could do nothing other than following quietly.

"I feel hot, can I take of the hood?"

"If you want to leave this place alive, then no"

"Alive?" Reiko confused with the woman answer. Reiko's eyes were not focusing on the road when she abruptly fell, feel her butt crashed on the ground. "It's hurt!"

When she looked up, she just bumped into a little boy. He was younger and smaller than her. The boy cried, not only from the fall, it seemed he had lost his parents on his way wandering around. Reiko immediately stood and went to the boy, patting his head. "Sorry, did you hurt?"

The boy kept crying but then stopped when he saw the older girl made a funny face. He was chuckling with his bumpy eyes and soared voice.

"Nene said boy don't cry, okay?" Reiko smiled and the boy nodded, smiling back.

Rei was looking closely at the scene and impressed. She did not expect the stubborn girl could act maturely. It was her turn to give the little girl a pat on the head and smiled at her. Reiko looked up to see the woman, feeling the warm affection.

"You're doing a good job. Nene must be proud of you"

"Taro! Where are you?" Their attention directed to a woman's shout coming from the crowd.

The raven bent down to exchange look with the boy and she smiled at him. "I think your mother looking for you, Taro". She picked up the boy and then looked at Reiko. "Stay here, okay? I will be back"

She went crossing the crowd while observing carefully. A woman with her raven hair tied back was looking worried and wondering around the crowd. When she looked at Rei and the boy, her face changed into relieves and ran towards her. "Taro!"

"Mama!"

The mother took the boy and hugged him. "Where did you go? You made me worried!" She looked up again to see Rei. "Thank you very much for finding my son"

"You're welcome", Rei felt something was odd. The mother was still looking at her with curious eyes.

"Did I know you, miss? You look awfully familiar", the mother said while still observing the raven warrior.

Rei's heart skipped a bit, trying to look relaxed. "You must be mistaken. It's my first time to Hino"

"Really? I'm must have mistaken you with someone. I'm sorry for my rudeness and thank you for finding my son"

"Don't worry about it", Rei was about to go when the crowd suddenly became fuss.

The crowd was divided into two when the imperial armies marching through the road. Suddenly, someone shouted, "The Emperor is here!"

The raven woman surprised and quickly turned around, pulling her hood up. Without saying any words to the mother, she went to find Reiko and get them out of the scene. When she got to the place, Rei panicked. The little blond was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it!"

Looking around the crowd, it was impossible to find a little girl among thousands of people in Hino. Rei began searching to the east part of the crowd but without her knowing, Reiko was just slipped to the front line of the crowd where she could see the marching armies clearly.

Reiko was mesmerized by the parade. She was staring at the tall men in armor, carrying gleaming weapons and big black horses that they rid was decorated beautifully. Then her eyes were caught on a boy who was running to the road. It was the boy from before. "Taro!"

She ran to the boy quickly, stopping him from running further. "It's dangerous! Let's go -"

"Watch out!" One of the men shouted.

Both children looked up to see horses came towards them. They stopped the horses in time, making the horses stood up and almost overthrew the soldiers. The marching stopped. All the men attention was to the scene. The man that almost got himself thrown descended from his horse. His gold helmet could not hide his furious face. The looks in his eyes was like he was ready to kill.

"How dare you endangering the Imperial army! Disobedient kids must be punished!"

Reiko saw the man getting close. She could do nothing but only to hug Taro tighter. She was afraid but somewhere in her heart, she knew that she was safe.

Once the man took out his blade and attacked the children, Reiko closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worse. She heard astound voices from the crowd but nothing came. She opened her eyes again to see, the same savior in front of her again. She did not know why but she just knew that the raven would come to save her again.

"The Commander of the army should never endangering his own people and punishing innocent children with weapon", the man shivered as he heard the soft yet cold voice. What made the armed man shocked was his blade was stopped by the mysterious figure only with her naked hand. When he saw the eyes under the hood glowing gold color, suddenly the man screamed in pain as he felt his hand was burning. Rei had turned the blade into a burning iron, making the Commander screamed for his sizzling hand. He fell on his knees and Rei threw the blade aside. While still had her gold eyes on the man, suddenly someone shouted.

"The girl, she is blond!"

Her eyes turned to Reiko and the hood had fallen from her head, showing the beautiful golden hair.

"Venusian! We've got Venusian in the city!"

"Catch her!"

Rei went to the girl before the men could touch her. "Reiko, hold onto me, don't let go! Hold Taro as well!"

The men were about closing in when the raven's hood suddenly fell, showing clearly her gold eyes glowing more intense. Before they had their blade touching them, a cyclone of fire encircled the three figures. The men could come forward as they being pushed by heat pressure. The horses were shrieking uncomfortably and the people could only close their eyes, cannot bear the hot wind.

Once it stopped, they opened their eyes to see only Taro left alone, safe and sound. The other two had gone.

Confusion filled in every men and women thought. The armies tried to help their comrades and their Commander when a man came out of the carriage. He saw the whole thing without missing any single scene. His amethyst eyes filled with surprised.

"Rei?"

* * *

"AGAIN?"

The shout rang through the dark corridor, disturbing the stillness in the night. The masked man sat on a gold made chair. In the dim room, his white armor with gold crest on the chest was clearly visible as much as his displeased. He was facing with a man in the same white armor but less glamorous than his. The man was kneeling on his knees, showing his respect to the sitting man.

"How could this happen?"

The kneeling man could not lift his face to see the rage in the masked man blue eyes, "According to our spy, there is an intervention and now, the girl is in Mars"

"Mars?" The blond man surprised but then smiled. "Give order to the 'Kunoichi' to pursue her. It is beyond our territory right now"

"K-Kunoichi?"

"You just hear what I said"

"But should we inform the-"

"You dare to defy me, Elliros?"

The man looked down, regretting his action to question the man. "I will inform them right away"

"Good", the masked man stood from his chair but then stopped when the kneeling man started again.

"There is other thing-"

"What is it again? I thought we finished", the angry man intruded.

"Our spy's main target has escaped with-" Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted. The masked man quickly hid deeper into the room while the other man went to the door. He opened the door to see his soldier was standing there. "What is it?"

"Sire, the princess is calling you"

"I'll be right there in a minute", he closed the door and the masked man appeared again.

"We will continue our matter next time, and before that, I want you to concentrate on your task. Leave the other matter to the Kunoichi, understood?"

"Yes, your highness"

The sun had fallen beyond the horizon and the forest was not looking friendly at night time. The two people managed to escape from the city without being followed.

No words exchanged between them. Rei felt there was no need to. The girl did not cry or ask her about what happened. She just followed her quietly at the back.

"We're going to camp here", Rei dropped the heavy carry-on and gathered the woods they had collected earlier to start a campfire.

The little blond just nodded and sat beside the raven. When her attention caught by the firewood suddenly flamed in fire, she began to question.

"How did you do that?"

Rei did not bother to answer. She continued to put more woods on the fire. The curiosity was never left the girl's mind however her stomach had been impatient to be fed.

"Are you hungry?" The raven took out two dead snakes which made Reiko jump.

"W-where that came from?"

"I got them on our way. The meat taste good"

"We're going to eat that?"

"Yup", Rei began to cut the snake, ignoring the child's disgust face.

"I don't want to eat that!"

Rei signed. "It's already late and I don't want to leave you alone to hunt for another food"

Looking at the snakes that have been placed onto a wood stick made the girl losing her desire to eat.

"I don't feel want to eat", the girl went away from the campfire. She took her cape and threw it neatly on the ground. She laid on it, facing against the fire.

The fire's cracking was the only sound heard in the quiet night. The little blond could not sleep well. The eerie feeling kept reminding her. She was freezing and tired. Nothing was warmer than the flaming fire and nothing could fix her hungry stomach.

When a pleasant smell creeping to her nose, she opened her eyes and turned around. Reiko was facing a hand with a stick of grilled meat on it.

"Try it"

She could not hold the hunger any longer. The girl took it and gave a first bite. After chewing for a while, Reiko's eyes lighted up. "It's good!"

"I told you so"

Ignoring the woman's comment, the girl just concentrated on eating her dinner. Rei was surprised by the blond appetite but she was gladded that the girl enjoyed it. After the dinner, they decided to give a rest for the day. It had been a long day for both of them.

They slept encircling the fire. Once they were laying on the ground, their eyes did not closed right away. They looked up to the starry night, sharing a moment of silence with content and full stomach. Reiko was observantly looking how beautiful Martian's sky.

"I like stars. They are small, cute and bright"

Rei smiled at the child's comment. "When I was a kid, you could see more stars and sometimes we could see the Moon from here"

Reiko's attention turned to the woman in the other side of the campfire. "You're Martian?"

"Yes"

"Umm…" Reiko a little hesitated to continue, "Do you hate blond?"

Rei was laughing uncontrollably when she heard the girl's innocent question. "I... Have thrown that identity long time ago and I don't hate Venusian"

"Why?"

"Just forget about it, our priority right now is to get you out of here"

They fell into silence once again, keeping their eyes still on the sky.

"Nene... Always took me out at night, to see stars and telling me about how beautiful and fun the galaxy is. She had a beautiful smile whenever she told me about her youth and it always made me eager to see the world outside", from the sad tone, Rei saw disappointment in her words. With what she had experienced, it was obvious a dream will always be a dream. Sometime that is reality, a cruel fact of life.

"There are a lot of things that you will understand when you grow up. When you understand them, you will see that it can be a beautiful and fun place", behind her assuring smile, she felt the pang of grief in her heart. Rei never believed in dream any more. Hers had been crushed in the past and she stopped hoping ever since. She could only accept whatever reality she is facing. It was less painful but it was even more painful to stop dreaming and hoping.

"I don't understand"

Rei patiently smiled, "Despite what you have seen today, I can assure you that the galaxy is a beautiful and fun place. You will make a lot of friends and you will do what you like"

"Really?"

Rei nodded and the simple action could make the little blond smiled. Then they went back to look at the stars.

Memories began to flood into Rei's mind. Ever since she met Reiko, she could not keep the past behind any longer. Her power somehow reacted to the girl's presence and she could not control it. Despite that, Rei felt her heart had become more light and content, like all the burdens from the past were never exist. She did not know what fate had planned for her but she was ready to find out.

"Hey, do you want to hear a story?"

"What story?" Reiko looked at the woman.

"About the galaxy", the girl amethyst eyes were glowed in excites. She rolled around to lie on her stomach. Rei saw the girl was ready and began. "Once, the galaxy was a peace and beautiful place. It was the era of Moon Alliance where all planets united under one ruling, offering peace and love for the people. Each planet supported the others and people live in a perfect harmony. But then, a war started and it was the beginning of every catastrophe"

"What happened?"

"The Earth government was not happy the way with Moon Alliance's philosophy and decided to start their own. They tried to provoke other planets to join them as well and unfortunately, there are planets who apparently supporting the Earth's government like Neptune and... Mars"

"Three planets decided to form the Earth Alliance. They tried to persuade Venus since it was the only nearest back-up Moon's back up force after the Mercury and they could corner the Moon right away if they can control all the planets close to it"

"Why they do that? I mean is it wrong to have a peace world and full of love?"

Rei shook her head. "No… it is never wrong to begin with but there are people who try to seek something else in this world… power, dominance, things like that…"

"I don't understand"

"You will when you're older, where was I-"

"The Earth, Mars and Neptune tried to persuade Venus"

"Good memory you have there, okay, so they tried but the Venusian chose to stay loyal to the Moon Alliance and do you know what is Venusian motto?"

"Love and Peace!"

"Exactly, I'm impressed, did Nene tell you about this?"

"Yup! And then, and then?"

Rei laughed at the girl's eagerness. "After the refusal was the start point of the one year long war, the biggest war in the planetary history and the first Galactic War. They tried to take over Venus by force which ended up many casualties for both sides. The military aggression stopped since the 'incident'"

"What incident?"

"I… don't know…"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't learn much about it… many people… didn't know about it"

"It has been seven years since the war stopped. Since then, the two alliances are in a cold war, refuse to live in peace"

Reiko kept silence as her mind processed the story. "Is that why Martian doesn't like Venusian?"

"Yes"

Again, silence filled in between the again. Both were thinking of their own things until Reiko began to wonder.

"Why didn't Nene tell me about it?"

Rei kept her eyes upon the stars and replied. "Did you trust her?"

Reiko nodded right away without hesitation. Saw the enthusiastic nod, the woman just smiled to her. "Then you have to believe that what she did is to protect you and there is no way for her to harm you"

"How do you know?"

"It is not me to know, it is you who knows about it", Rei pointed her index finger to Reiko's chest, "Believe in your heart"

The girl stared at her chest for a while and back to look at the other amethyst eyes."Do you trust me, Rei-chan?"

Rei surprised to hear the calling with Motonian's familiarity suffix. "Why you asked?"

"Because I trust you", the little blond smiled. "My heart tells me that"

The raven replied her with a warm smile, "Then, there is no reason for me to say no, chibi-chan"

**Author's note:**

Done! This is my xmas present to those who celebrate it.

I took the image of Martian Kingdom from the olden Japan era. The Hino castle description is based on Himeji Castle in Japan.

Just to explain the term '**Kunoichi**' = Female Ninja. You will see their appearance later.

Wish you a very merry xmas and a wonderful happy new year ^_^

C u in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: Kunoichi

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 04: Kunoichi**

_The raven felt the twinge of pain on her abdomen and blood sprawled all over her clothes. She looked up when fuzzy image of a woman with short black hair came into sight. Rei's head was leaning on the mysterious woman's lap and she could feel the woman's hand upon her sweating forehead. The Martian did not care. She just closed her eyes and whispered, "Just let me die, there's no use…Why stay living anyway…"_

_She felt her breathing was getting harder and her mind almost fled to unconsciousness. Rei accepted her fate. There were no reasons for her to keep fighting. She had lost everything; hope, dream and love. Suddenly, she heard the woman whisper. "There is reason for everything… Fate has brought you here for a reason"_

_Rei's eyes flipped half-opened. Once there was someone she loved dearly, telling the same thing to her. The raven looked at the stranger blue eyes above her. So much kindness shone from her eyes. Rei simply could not take her eyes away from her. "For what reason?"_

_The mysterious woman was smiling like an angel and it just melted Rei's frozen heart. She bent her face towards Rei's and they felt each other breathe closing in. Her amethyst eyes were still enchanted by the blue eyes. It reminded her to someone who had exactly the same blue eyes but this one was different. She heard nothingness except one last whisper. "To save me" _

_Their lips met. It was warm and passionate. It was like Déjà vu. Everything was like the old times. Everything seemed so wrong yet it felt so right. Somehow she believed that fate had given her another chance to start it over. She wanted her life back and she would do anything to feel alive again…_

Rei opened her eyes. She was just laying back for a moment and before she knew it, her mind already fled to old memory. It was the memory from the first time she met Mineru, right about seven years ago. She signed and began messaging her temple as usual. She could feel herself wet from the sweat. She could not believe that she could fall asleep in the heat of the day. It had been a week since they occupied the forest, consuming only more snakes and water. They managed to build a shelter from woods and leaves but it would not guarantee them to survive for long.

Then, her thoughts went to the little girl who brought her here in the first place. She went out of the shelter, looking around to find Reiko nowhere to be found. The girl was sitting beside her right before she fallen asleep. Rei began to worry when suddenly she felt something moves from behind.

"Rei-chan!" The woman jumped not because of the shout but because of the object in Reiko's hand. "I got four snakes for dinner!"

"Put them down okay, Chibi! You can't just show up and bring snakes in front of people face"

"You did the same thing to me before"

The little blond sticked her tongue out as she took off her cape. Rei gave out a small giggle remembering the girl scared face when she saw the dead snakes few days ago. She missed that moment which irritated Reiko a lot. But it surprised her that the girl had overcame her fear and took out four snakes alone. She believed the girl had no experience in martial arts but she had impressive speed in learning them.

The raven was proud to see her 'student' learned a lot from her but she still disliked the idea for the little girl to go out alone. She had warned her to be careful even if they went for hunting together in the forest. They could never know what could happen.

The sun would set soon enough, giving them less time for the day. They went to prepare their dinner like any other day. Usually, they woke up in the morning and went to wash themselves in the river. After wards they went for hunting for food and sometimes Rei taught Reiko few trick for self-defense or hunting. When the night came, they had dinner and sleep early or they could talk until late. At times, Rei tried to go to the city, surveying the surrounding. The commotion in the other day had made them difficult to move among the people.

The thought of the city reminded her back to the sad memory. Everything started reminding her to seven years ago, even in her dream as well. It pained her so much to remember it piece by piece. Her inner feeling had yelled, yearn to be brought home to the life she had been having for seven years long. But those feelings vanished in the moment she saw Reiko. Those small amethyst eyes were showing a young girl who missed home as much as Rei did. She promised her to bring her home and she did not planned to break it.

"Miss Nene?" The question surprised Reiko. She wondered how the woman could have guessed but she did not asked. The girl just replied with a nod. Rei could only gave a pat and assurance. "Don't worry, we will find a way to get you home"

The girl cheerfully smiled. In short time, they had began to trust each other and the bond between them grew even stronger. Rei felt that the little girl started to open up as well.

"Let's eat, shall we", she gave one of the wood stick with the meat to Reiko and they started their dinner quietly.

"Rei-chan…"

Realization struck her. Rei almost forgot long time ago somebody used to call her just like that. "Yeah?"

"Is Mineru your girlfriend?"

Rei almost chocked herself to death. She coughed uncontrollably while trying to calm herself. "H-how did you know about that stuff?"

"Well, I heard the two of you in the bathroom..."

Rei had never felt so embarrass in a long time. She could feel her head overheated. "No, I mean, you are too small to know those stuff!"

"I'm six and half years old"

"Still, I mean..." Words were lost in her throat. Rei kept messaging her temple, confuse in her own arguement. "Did Nene taught you about the boyfriend-girlfriend thingy as well?"

"No, that's Arti-chan who taught me although Lulu-chan always get mad whenever she found out"

"Who?"

"Arti-chan and Lulu-chan, they like each other. That's what Nene told me. But the books I red is always telling the stories about a boy to like a girl"

Rei never expected a six-years-old could be so observant. She just lost her words, impressed by her little friend. "I think love knows no boundaries"

"What is that?"

" It means that we can love anybody we like, boys or girls like that. It's like you like Nene so much and that's why you miss her"

"So Nene is my girlfriend?"

"It doesn't have to be boyfriend or girlfriend. What matter is you love them and care for them, understand?"

Reiko nodded. "Did you miss, Mineru-san?"

She looked at the little girl and gave a smile. "Yeah, I miss her..."

The little blond smiled and continued her dinner. They fell into silence. Somehow the atmosphere changed and Reiko looked into the fire with a sad eyes. The raven knew the looks and she went to pat the little girl's head. "I will see Mineru after I brought you home to your Nene. I won't leave you until then I promise"

Reiko went to hug the raven. "Thank you, Rei-chan"

The Martian startled by the sudden action but decided to hug the child back. She never knew that an embrace could be so relaxing. She smiled quietly, enjoying the girl's presence.

"Rei-chan"

"Yes, Chibi?"

"When I got back home, would you like to stay for a while?"

"I am not sure I could promise that"

Rei could see her answer had disappointed the little blond and tried to come up with different subject.

"So, what is your hobby?"

"I like to read"

"Read? I'm surprised"

"Yes! I mean other than reading, I couldn't do much thing since Nene never let me go outside the garden and there wasn't much visitor, only Lulu-chan and Arti-chan sometimes came to teach me"

"They taught you?"

"Yes, so did Nene-chan. Lulu-chan is very strict about studying but she is nice"

"You learned Motonian from them as well?"

"Yup. It was realy fun when they were teaching!" Reiko smiled excitingly. The raven could see what the girl said reflected clearly on her smiling face.

"I would say they have a good student"

The girl giggled at Rei's answer but then Reiko's smile disappeared. "It was fun but when Lulu-chan and Arti-chan had to go, it was only me and Nene left. Sometimes, I felt a little lonely though"

Rei could not help but to think something was amiss about it. Reiko was a nice girl, not to mention she was smart and talented. The raven could not shrug the idea that such potential would be a waste if she kept being trap in such a small world. There must be a reason why this to happen including why she was hunted by the dangerous criminal in the galaxy. She was going to find out what exactly the child's guardians were planning once she got to meet them.

"How come Nene didn't want you to go outside?"

"She told me that it is dangerous and I shouldn't go outside. Reading entertained me since I could read about so many different places and people. It made me curious the galaxy looks like and wanted to see them myself. Now, I think they are awesome! I saw a real castle, a big one and I can eat snake! At first, those men scared me but with Rei-chan, it's really fun!" The girl's excitement just made Rei smiled as it reminded the raven of her own childhood. She always sneaked out to go to the market and sometimes outside the city. She always scolded at the end of the day but it never stopped her. Rei just could not imagine what it was like to grow in such a small place. She was glad that the girl enjoyed her experience very much. When the raven turned to see her, it surprised Rei seeing the sad face all of the sudden. "But I miss Nene…"

There were no words shared between them. Rei signed. She should know better that at the end, anyone would miss their home. "Don't worry, I will bring you home soon. And maybe I can stay a little while so you can introduce me to Lulu-chan and Arti-chan"

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"Promise that you will stay!"

"I promise!"

"YAY!" Reiko could hide her smile and went to hug the raven.

Rei was content just to see her smiling. She could not deny her affection towards her little friend. She almost forgot what it was like to have friends that you care.

All of the sudden, they heard hustles between the trees when suddenly a black shadow passed them. Rei realized that Reiko was not in her arms any longer.

"REI-CHAN!"

The raven was turning to where the sound came when a white energy ball was sent to her direction. She repelled the attack but it was too late when she realized it was a trap. Her attacker appeared right above her and knocked her down to the ground. She heard Reiko's shout of her name for the last time and fell unconscious.

* * *

It was a dimmed courtroom, showing furniture neatly placed and very distinctive dark blue emblems of a lion decorate the room. Although it was pretty much lit with candles, it still lack of light caused by weather outside. Through the windows at the end of the room, the glass was filled with lots of water's pellet. Neo Olde Tokyo was never missed any day without rain. The constant misty and cold weather gave it a hard time to illuminate the city, making it dark and remote. The Chiba Castle was not looking any better than the city itself. The poor weather had turned the palace into moldy place and the bluish stone made wall caused it even more remote and somehow unappealing. However, the cold and gloomy surrounding seemed not to bother the four men in the courtroom. Heated conversation seemed to be going on.

"How dare them! To use the Kunoichi without his highness permission!"

A blond man with wavy short hair looked angry and so did his three other comrades, showing their displeasure as well. They were all wearing black chainmail and iron shoulder pad with dark blue emblem of a lion on it.

"Jadeite is right", added another man with long wavy light-brown hair. "We must give them a lesson for their insolence"

"Let it be, Zoisite"

The soft command silenced the room immediately. A black hair man appeared by the grand room's entrance, wearing a black and gold armor with the same dark blue emblem of a lion on his chest.

"King Endymion"

The four men bowed as their king walked by. He sat on his throne chair and stared at his pupils with cold blue eyes.

One of the man with long silver hair came forward as he still bowed to his king. "We apologized for our insolent comments, your highness, but what they did is unacceptable. They have broke the agreement"

"Your highness", the last man with long wavy dark brown hair went to his comrade's side, "I agree with Kunzite, we should-"

"Nephrite, Kunzite, and all of you, I appreciate your concern but Kunoichi was never bound to us. Besides, we must not forget our goal", they were all fell silent again, not daring to utter a single word. King Endymion got up from his throne and walked to the window. He could see clearly his kingdom below in between the pouring rain. "We must have the medium and 'her'. The time will approach sooner than we thought. We must not lose our sight. Understood?"

"Yes, your highness"

_

* * *

The night was bright and reddish. The usual cool night was heated with burning fire. It was not just an ordinary fire. It was an angry fire._

_The angry fire was raging over the unknown village. Houses were burned down until nothing left. Cries were escaped from the survivors; either it was cries of people who tried to save themselves or cries of people one who lost their families. A group of people in unrecognized black garment stood side by side in the woods. Looking over the tragic scene, their unusual grey eyes were showing full of pain and hatred. Whispers were heard and the only words came out were as rage as the fire._

"_We cursed the very soul of their descendants living in this land. We, Kunoichi, swear on our ancestors' grave, we will revenge them for what they've done and we shall not rest until then"_

Rei gasped right away. 'W-what was that?'

She still felt herself panting heavily and her heart was racing uncontrollably. The dream felt so real, so real that she could feel the heat and the anger clearly. Deep inside, she was afraid that vision would or had become reality.

Then, she remembered what happened before. She was about to move when she felt her forehead hurt. It must have been the attack to cause the pain and she could feel dry blood smeared on it. Her hands were tied and she could not move her body freely either. It was dark and cramp. She only heard a familiar loud engine but her mind would not bother the detail. What she wanted to do was getting herself out.

She went to touch the surface above her and knocked on it with her knuckles. It was made of wood which a relieve for Rei. She placed her hand on the wood surface again and then her eyes turned golden as fire came out of her hand. She watched the fire quickly creeping to the wooden confinement. She rolled her body aside and used her elbow to smash upon the burning wood above her. When she saw the hole, she went out quickly before she got burned with her own fire. After rolling on the ground to put off the fire on her clothes, she looked around to hear the familiar loud engine again. Indeed, it was the sound of a running engine from a cargo ship.

Suddenly, shot of the white light's balls were coming towards Rei. She managed to avoid them in time and the attacks hit the boxes behind her instead which caused a huge blow, threw Rei to the ground with loud metal clanking on the floor. She tried to get up and surprised to see swords were spread throughout the floor. It came from the box. But surprise turned into awareness as she spun around to see her enemy. Between the flying dusts, a person with familiar garment appeared. It surprised the raven again. It was black tight clothes from top to bottom clearly showing the slender body of a woman. It was the same garment in her dream and the same eyes, grey like a cat. It covered her whole body even their face and only their eyes were clearly seen.

The mysterious attacker did not share any words and moved forward to attack the raven. She took her sword out which had a very distinctive appearance; a curved, slender and singled edged blade. The woman began to attack and Rei was surprised to see how agile her moves and the precision in her attacks with such a long sword. But she had no time to be amazed. She needed to find Reiko fast.

Rei saw another attack coming and jumped back from the enemy and closed her eyes. Once she opened her glowing gold eyes, she picked up one of swords on the floor and firmly held the sword. She raised the weapon to the level of her eyes with two hands still tied together. The enemy stood in the opposite side with her two hands ready on her weapon as well. They did not leave each other her even for a second. The staring continued until they heard the sound of the bell from the temple rang. The mysterious attacker chanted and suddenly a ball of light appeared, attacking Rei. The raven shoved it away when the woman nowhere to be found. She looked up immediately and found the woman was in the air with her blade directed down to her.

"Old trick wouldn't do twice", without hesitation, Rei bravely jumped towards her attacker ignoring her disadvantage position. When the blade almost reached her, the raven swiftly spun herself in the air avoiding the weapon. The woman was surprised but failed to react when Rei's sword slashed through her body.

The woman flinched and landed on the ground roughly. Rei had made sure the wound will be deep enough to leave her alive. She went to the fallen woman and pulled her collar. "Where is Reiko? Who sent you here?"

She would not answer her. Instead, she took out a small knife to attack Rei but was repelled. The Martian simply held the woman's wrist and turned the knife pointed to its own master. "Do not underestimate me! What is Kunoichi? You are one of them, aren't you?"

Before Rei could interrogate further, the woman quickly moved the knife to slit her own throat and dropped dead. The raven surprised with the action. She never believed that they would prefer to protect the people who hire them rather than spare their own life. She took off the woman's façade and then she clearly saw the same ravaging grey eyes in her dream were now lifeless and empty. She was just a young woman, not even mid-twenties. Her black hair was cut short almost looked like a boy's hair. The Martian was confused. She could not recognize where this woman came from. The only people who had black hair were Earth, Martian and Saturn. Blond usually came from either Venus or Uranus but usually, Uranus had darker blond. Blue hair was Mercurian, Brunette was Jovian, and Aquamarine came from Neptune. The Moon people had a very distinguish silver hair and Plutonian characterized by dark green hair and darken skin tone. But this woman, she did not match to any planet habitants especially because of her grey eyes. None of these planets had such eyes color.

"Stay away from her"

The raven froze when she heard the voice. She moved her eyes from the lifeless body to the newcomers. Another woman was wearing the exact same clothes as the dead one and had the same grey eyes' stare. She was standing near the door to the corridor with a blond girl. Reiko was stood in the capturer's arms with a knife held onto her neck. Her lower lip was tore as if she was beaten. The raven felt anger inside her. She was angry of how these people treated a child but it also told her that they were cold-blooded people. Wrong moves could result Reiko's life at stake. Rei was thinking how to distract the enemy.

"I know who you are… The Kunoichi, right?"

She could not see the capturer's face but her movement and her eyes were showing that she did not expect the Martian knowledge.

"Surprised that I knew about you guys? Don't worry, you friend didn't tell me anything. She killed herself before she could say anything, what a pathetic person"

Rei did not know what she was playing with but it seemed her rumbles succeed. She could see the captor twitching her eyes but her knife still on Reiko's throat. The raven must be careful or the knife would do its work.

"You guys were pathetic! That's why it happened to your village because you are so pathetic-"

The captor screamed in anger and threw Reiko aside. The raven was still taken by surprised when the woman in black dashed towards her with incredible speed. The captor was closing in and then, only the sound of the running engine filled in the room. No one knew who was more surprised than the other but it was about who got the surprised at the end. The Kunoichi eyes were bolted open. She knew her knife was aiming to Rei's heart but she did not know that it was missed by an inch. What she was surprised about was the burning arrow in Rei's right hand penetrated into her abdomen. She looked at the raven and was stared into the gold irises. Both women fell back, each received a fatal wound but survived.

"REI-CHAN!"

Reiko ran to the raven woman who was gasping for air. The girl saw the pain on Rei's face and tears started to fill her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry… Help me untie this rope will you?"

"O-okay"

The little blond pulled Aphrozakroz from her belt and cut the rope tying Rei's hand. When it came off, she helped Rei get up into sitting position. The raven did not look comfortable moving since it hurting her wound. Once she could maintain the pain, she grabbed the long sleeve on her left arm and tore it away. She could see the horror in Reiko's face, it was worse than when she showed her the snake for the first time.

"Chibi, I need your help, are you okay with this?" Rei tried to ask calmly but her wound betraying her. It caused her so much pain that she was gasping more frequently.

"I'm alright, Rei-chan, I can do this", the raven saw only a great determination left in the little amethyst eyes. She was proud to see the little girl could act bravely in such situation.

"Okay then, hold this cloth, I want you to warp my wound with it after I pulled the knife, ready?"

Reiko nodded and Rei pulled the knife. The blond quickly warped the wound and done it in second. After she was done, the Martian smiled at the child.

"Good job, Reiko"

The little blond could not hold it anymore. She went crying and right away hugging the raven which returned with shout of pain from Rei.

"I-I'm s-sorry, R-Rei-chan", Reiko pulled away while still hiccup from crying.

"Don't worry about it, did they hurt you?"

"Not really… They only hit me because I was trying to get Aphrozakroz from them"

Rei smiled at the girl and patted her head in affection. "You are really brave, Chibi, you should be proud of yourself"

Reiko did not smile back. She still had worries in her eyes. "Are you going to be okay, Rei-chan?"

"I am going to be okay… I promised you to bring you home, didn't I?"

The raven saw the smile on Reiko's face. The child carefully hugged Rei and the raven returned the hug as well.

They were surprised by the captor's cough, seem she had awakened. Rei pulled away from the hug and rose on her feet with Reiko's help. She went closer to the captor and looked at her.

"I'm not going to ask you the same questions that I asked your comrade because I know you will end up you life as well, just like her. I just wanted to apologize for my words before. Please accept my condolences for your lost home. I understand how devastating it could be"

"I don't need your fake remorse", Rei surprised to hear some answer. It was a short reply but filled with so much pain and anger.

"I do feel sorry… I saw it"

"Saw it? That's impossible! Our village was burned down thousands years ago by YOUR people!"

"Thousands years ago?"

"Yes! You couldn't see something that happened in the past!"

The revelation surprised Rei. She did not have the knowledge that it was a memory from the past. She could see present and future events but never had vision of the past. And the fact that her ancestor had something to do with the Kunoichi made her confuse even more. There were no Kunoichi ever mentioned in Martian history and they could not be missed since they had such incredible power beyond average people. The raven was going to ask the captor again but stopped when suddenly a loud noise came from the corridor. Footsteps were heard rummaging towards their direction.

"We need to get out of here"

Rei quickly grabbed Reiko and ran towards the hangar's entrance. She went for the big red button and pressed it. The hangar's entrance was slowly opening, revealing daylight and wind blowing wildly. The raven surprised to see the landmark below.

It was a huge area of the land. It looked different from the other area since it was the only area without trees. It looked disorder, like it was destroyed to its bottom. Rei felt cold sweat all over her. She knew that place and she could hear the crackling of fire and people screamed in pain.

"Rei-chan?"

She snapped out of it and saw Reiko stared at her worried. The noises were just her imagination and she did not have time for this. She picked up Reiko and hugged her tightly.

"Hold on me tightly!" Reiko held her right away, following Rei's instruction. "Ready?"

Then both of them jumped into the unknown land.

**Author's note:**

Sorry for the late update. It took longer than I thought. I have no additional comment or what so ever since this chapter was taking a lot time to edit. I hope you guys enjoying the fourth chapter.

Pls review and tell me what you think about it. And if you have any questions, just shout it out :)

You guys must be wondering WHERE THE HECK IS MINAKO? GRRR :( I've been waiting for her appearance myself XD

See you in next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5: Past

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 05: Past**

Reiko could see anything but darkness. Her conscious soul was wondering around the dark stage but something was wrong. She was forgetting something. She just could not remember what. Suddenly, a golden-yellow light blinded her and three beautiful stones came into her sight. Reiko could not take her eyes away from them and decided to get a close look.

As she swam down, she began to hear a voice. It was calling her name. Reiko was getting more curious as she continued to swim deeper. It was a long way down but her curiosity was too great to be compared. The voice was very familiar to her but she could barely recognize it. After felt like eternity, finally Reiko reached to the nearest stone where the voices came from. When she touched it, suddenly flood of vague memory surprised her.

_There was a breeze of fresh air that snuggle to the newborn lungs. The cold air and the cold touches were creeping onto her skin and the little brightness seemed like needle upon her eyes. It was hard for her to open her eyes. She had never been exposed to such brightness. Her small body was clueless. She could not stop shivering and crying was the only thing she could do. The annoying feeling just would not go and she kept crying out of her throat. It felt like she had been disturbed from a long sleep and now, she was just awoke. _

_Her shiver stopped and so did her yelling as she felt the cold touches had gone, replace by a comforting embrace. The brightness was not hurting her eyes anymore and her skin was just comfortable in where she was. It was warm and secure. Then she heard a voice. She could not understand what it was. She barely opened her eyes to see shadow of a blond woman when the same voice was heard again. It was saying:_

"_I love you"_

_Then the quiet scene turned into a ruckus. The infant was in the arm of another blond woman who was trying to make sure her tight grip would not suffocate the baby. She was running in the dark corridor and then stopped. A blond man was standing in front of her with a sword pointed to her._

"_I know your secret and what's that baby as well!" The blond woman had mixed surprised and anger on her face. The man saw it and only gave a devious grin. "Yes, Annako, you have betrayed me but you shall not worry. I forgive you. Just give me the baby and we will continue our life together"_

"_I must refuse… I know what you're going to do with her and I would not let it happen! She is my flesh and blood as well"_

_The man laughed cynically. "What can you do? You have no authority in this planet any longer, Annako. You're useless!"_

"_You might claim yourself as the mighty but you're not. You've no right, even your blood could tell you that"_

"_Silence! Give me that baby NOW!"_

_The woman face was not changed. She still kept calm ambience around her and answered with degree of firmness. " I'll protect her no matter what"_

_It was not welcomed with the same cynical laugh. The man was obviously furious toward the woman's stubbornness. _

"_Then, DIE!"_

Reiko was threw few inches away. Her hand was not touching the stone any longer. It was surprised her not only from the jolt but also from the images. I left her with stagnant breathing and her heart was racing in incredible speed. Again, she felt the familiarity but she could not remember. Not for long, her eyes were enchanted again but not from the same stone. One stone was giving the brightest shine out of all three and the little girl never took off her eyes from it. She moved away from the previous stone and slowly reaching out for the bright stone. As she gets near, she saw a petite figure inside. When she touched it, the figure's eyes opened and suddenly she was swarmed by golden-yellow light.

The little blond gasped. Her gaze was not staring into the stone anymore. She was laying on the cold ground with eyes staring upon the tall trees above her. She still felt her stagnant breath and her racing heart. She felt lost for a moment, overwhelm by her dream and the weight upon her chest. Suddenly she remembered Rei. She looked up to find the weight she felt was the raven arm around her. Apparently, Rei managed to keep them together after fall. Quickly and carefully, she moved the petrified arms around her when she noticed her garment was wet. It was soaking with red color liquid from pool of blood she and Rei laying on. It was blood. It was not hers, it was Rei's.

To her horror, she was just realized how bad Rei wounded from the fall. She got up and looked at the woman beside her. She could not stop shivering.

"Rei-chan!"

The little blond shoved the lifeless body but there was no response. She kept shoving the body, knowing it was useless.

"NO! REI-CHAN!"

She could not hold her tears. She kept yelling for the raven's names. She was refused to believe what she saw; Rei was dead.

-**Day 12 Month 2 Year 444: Venus**-

A white spaceship was moving outside the Venusian orbit. It was one of the Venusian fleet since the recognizable emblem of two swans drew mirroring each other with their head touches, forming a shape of heart. It was the symbol of the great Kingdom of Venus. The spaceship had just come back from their mission on the Moon.

Ever since the conflict arised, defenses around the Moon orbit were increased due to the disadvantage distance between Moon and Earth. Large numbers of fleets were contributed from Venus, Jupiter and Uranus. Both Jupiter and Uranus were two strongest planets in Moon Alliance and belonged to Council of Planetary's Military Power or also known as CPMP. Their job was to keep any expansion of military power at minimum and protect Moon Alliance both external and internal danger. They were joined by Venus who was the leader of Moon Alliance's military. There were no major conflict during the seven years and on-going cold war but it had greatly exhausted both sides. However, nothing would stop them from doing what was necessary to protect their home.

"Attention, we're expecting turbulence as we enter the atmosphere in less than a minute. Please head back to your seat or hold onto a still object to avoid from fall. Thank you", the man in simple white suit with Venusian emblem on his vest turned off the announcement speaker and went back to his seat with a noticeable smile on his face. "Home sweet home at last"

"Couldn't wait to get home?" The helmsman's fellow comrade was sitting beside him as they both navigated the ship.

"It has been a year since we are assigned in Moon's orbit and that's how long I haven't seen my family"

"Couldn't believe how long it has been… Well, it was not easy mission but glad we make it"

"It's all because of those damn Earth Alliance people! They are the source of all the trouble"

"Save that for our mission next time, we are going home, aren't we?"

"Yup, here we go"

The ship entered field of gases and they could feel the strong pressure of the atmosphere as it quake the whole spaceship.

"The pressure is not like usual, I wonder why"

"Save that for later, cause we're reaching soon-"

Suddenly, a blast was heard and a bright golden-yellow light emerged, blinding everyone who saw it. The spaceship was shaking harder, surprising the passengers inside and cries were heard from people who lost their balance and crashed into the wall. As soon as the light gone, the helmsmen were able to gain control of the ship again. A man with white coat appeared from behind the helmsman with a great extent to stand still, looking furious.

"What's happening?"

"We-we don't know, Sir!"

"Check if there's incoming attack from the surrounding!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Lieutenant Aramis!" Another man appeared behind the lieutenant, wearing the same uniform as the helmsmen. He approached them with a great hurry as they could see his lack of breathing.

"What is it? Can you see that I'm busy here-"

"I-I just received a message from Her Royal Highness. We are ordered to land at the 'ruin' immediately, Sir"

"What? But Commander Vulcanus ordered us to-"

"Her Highness had guessed you will say that. She said it's her order, Sir"

The lieutenant fell into silence. He had no reason to disobey or his head would be at stake.

* * *

"_Am I dead?"_

_Rei opened her eyes to find herself was floating with whiteness surrounded her. Suddenly, golden light shone out of nowhere and she found herself standing between the trees. She assumed that she was in the forest but still, everything seemed like it was real but she knew she was not._

_A blond girl surprised Rei. She suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of the raven which taken Rei into defense position. The moment she observed the girl, it surprised her even more. It was the face that she would never forget. A much younger self of a woman that she knew so well, too well that it hurt her to remember. _

_The blond girl slipped behind the big oak tree, resting against it and waiting... She tried to calm herself while her hoarse breath showed she wasn't. She peeked behind her to see if she was being chase. Apparently, she didn't see any sign of her 'hunter'. Once she let her muscle rest from the tension of this 'hide-and-seek', a familiar aura appeared right above her. She looked up to see a goddess stared at her with playful smile on her face._

_The blond blushed momentarily but then swooped away from the oak tree. She raised her hand and shouted, "VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!"_

_The goddess leaped from the branch where she was standing. The chain missed its target but her enemy managed to land on the floating chain and ran toward the weapon's owner._

_The agile blond panicked for a moment when she saw her challenger coming. When they were about one meter away, the blond swung her other hand and pointed to the Goddess._

_"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN EXTENDED!"_

_WHAP!_

_The attack was just hit her right onto her face and the Goddess fell to the ground._

_"Rei-chan!"_

_The blond went over to the fallen comrade. She bent before the raven girl, rolled the girl's head to the blond's lap._

"_Are you okay, Rei-chan?"_

"_MINAKO! WHAT WAS- ARG! THAT?"_

_The raven girl looked up while both of her hands pressed against her nose. 'Minako' noticed the redness of Rei's face. It was almost like she is a tomato or something._

_Minako tried to hold her chuckles. "What?"_

"_That attack! I never knew that you could have two attacks at the same time?"_

"_Rei, you always told me, you've to surprise your enemies. Now, let me see what I've done to you"_

_The blond took Rei's hand away from her nose and saw red liquid coming out._

"_Dear Aphrodite! Rei, you're bleeding!"_

"_Damn! It's your fault"_

_Minako knew that her Rei was irritated and she found it amusing. She bent her head down a little while observed the pain expression on the raven girl's face._

"_Argg… It's damned hurt and I can't breathe"_

_The blond girl couldn't contain it anymore and laughed heartily._

"_Don't laugh! It's not funny! Arg!"_

"_Shhh!" Minako put her finger on the other girl's lips. Their eyes met and they froze momentarily. There was always something about her eyes, those stares. Whenever they met each other's eyes, they just couldn't stop staring as if her eyes were glued. Just by staring at those blue eyes, Rei's heart started to beat so fast and she felt her stomach began to flutter. Then she felt Minako's finger began to stroke her lips, it made her shiver. "Be quiet or you'll bleed to death"_

_Rei grabbed her wrist softly, stopping the fingers from brushing further. It distracted her so much that she wanted more of it._

"_Who fault is that?"_

_Minako smiled innocently while bending down towards the raven. "Me?"_

_Slowly, the distance between them shortened and the Martian felt the temperature heated up. She felt the blond's hot breath and hand upon Rei's warm cheek. The next thing they know, their lips met._

_The older raven was surprised, watching her younger self. There were so much differences between her past self and present. And yes, it was the happiest time of her life, her meeting with Minako. It pained her to see the happiness. It hurt so much for missing one person. She wished the blond would appear again in her life but it was too late, only her name that she could hold so close._

"_Minako"_

"Rei"

The raven heard her name called. The voice was soft but Rei could clearly hear it. If the voice in the dream she saw was real, this time, it sounded very real to her, too real.

Suddenly she felt an enormous dizziness and the cold just struck her the moment she heard the soft voice kept calling her. Her brain had stopped thinking and she could not move her body at all. A piece of warmth placed upon her cheek awakened Rei. The amethyst eyes opened slightly and she could see Minako in front of her. She smiled and that was the last thing she remembered before she went to nothingness.

**Author's note: **

Thank for reading again! I had a hard time writing this but voila! Finished at last! (HOOORAY!)

Like what I promised, Minako appearance! And this is just the beginning! Stay toon :)

Review pls!


	6. Chapter 6: Pandora's Box

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 06: Pandora's Box **

The day Arestha XIII Rei Mars died seven years ago, she thought she would be free from her curse but she was wrong. Like the myth of the Pandora's Box, once it was opened, only misfortunes left for the mankind. The moment she opened her own Pandora's Box seven years ago, it was the time when Rei was damned forever. They were like a plague to her even death would never separate her from it. It had taken away her desire, her happiness and her life, leaving her as the dead walking among the living.

As she regained her conscious once more, she still did not know whether she was awakened or not. It did not matter whether she opened or closed her eyes because there was only darkness in the room. Only stillness heard other than the sound of squeaking mice and echo of dripping water. Suddenly, the sting of pain stirred her senses. She was surprised when teardrops began to form in the corner of her eyes. It was all because of the unpleasant sensation she felt. The tears were warm yet felt bitter at the same time. She had been living in the emptiness far too long that she had forgotten how to feel. Somehow, the tears were not meant for the pain of her wound. It was the tears of her withered heart.

It had never crossed her mind that her heart had grown empty over the years. It was the moment when she felt the touch of an angel caused her to realize how empty it has been. It reached out to her, try to salvage her from the abyss. But what left was only the reminiscence of the touch and her withered heart. It was all just a dream, revelation from her dying soul. Both of her body and her heart cried in agony. Her mind wondered if the Pandora's Box had cursed her forever.

Suddenly, she was alarmed by noise behind the wall. It was soundless echo and gradually became as loud as the dripping water. She wanted to hear more and began to get up from her rest. Halfway moving her hand on the air, she was stopped by the stings of pain again. Then, Rei started to recognize the noise clearly. It was sounded like footsteps and soft quarrel at the back. Quickly, Rei grabbed whatever she could grip on and pulled herself up regardless the great pain she received. The effort paid off as she managed to sit herself up on the stoned bed while leaning heavily on the wall. As she tried to calm her breathe, she tried to eavesdrop the noise behind the wall.

"This is not a good idea"

"She is one of us"

"She WAS but now, she is not"

From the conversation, there seemed to be two people talking. Rei was wondering what they were talking and listened for more.

"How could you be so sure?"

"After what she had done-"

"We have no proof that she did it and so, she will be moved to the guest chamber"

"But Queen-"

"And I told you to stop calling me that, Minako!"

Rei stunned by the name she just heard. Her mind travelled to the 'dream' she had. What she saw or felt could be the real thing. She was in between of anxiety and a little gratification when a loud creak of heavy metal door startled her. Her eyes were blinded by the light coming from the door. Only silence greeted her along with the brightness.

"R-Rei?"

Slowly, she opened her eyes slightly. Her vision was still blurred but she could see two figures stood at the door and from their slender body, she guessed both were women.

"No, Serenity!" Another voice clearly opposed the figure approaching her.

Rei immediately recognized the name and so the familiar voices. She looked up to see the woman's face approaching her and the raven was not mistaken.

"U-Usagi"

She could only offer her one genuine smile towards Usagi and Rei could see the blond woman with odd hairstyle was smiling as well. Far at the door entrance, there she was. The woman Rei had been anxious to meet. But to Minako, it was different.

The Venusian princess dashed to the raven with amazing speed as she caught Rei off-guard and pushed her hard to the cold stone. The Martian wrenched in pain but was forced against the wall. Before she could act, she was being stared by two furious blue eyes with a blade few inches from slicing her throat.

There was no single breath exchanged between them and she did not know whether it was because of the anxiety or the tension. Rei could not help but noticed how beautiful the long blond hair was and undisturbed by the woman's skillful movement. Then, she looked her in the eyes. The beautiful blue eyes were still looking at hers intently and suddenly, her anxiety was gone. It was replaced by guilt.

"Minako stopped it!"

Usagi grabbed the Venusian arm which was useless. Minako did not even listen to what the Moon's princess and her rapier stayed still at where it was

"Which side are you?"

"What are you talking about?"

The raven was completely lost. She did not know what the blond was trying to do but it seemed Minako had no mercy. She pushed the raven harder to the wall caused Rei to protest in pain.

"Don't act like a fool! You're spying on us, isn't it?"

"What?" Rei had lost her composure and her endurance was at limit. She was in pain and confused. She had never taken liking in accusation which always never been true.

"What did those Earth people offer you with?"

"That's absurb-"

"Then why you betrayed us?"

Then, Rei's words were dead in her throat. The question felt like a trust right into Rei's heart. Again, she saw the blue eyes reflected the same aura like before, sadness and bitterness.

"W-was it you, Rei?"

When she heard Minako's question for the second time, it sounded hollow. It was not filled with anger like before. Rei felt the piercing blade was shaking. Her amethyst only caught into the beautiful blue eyes and she just knew that looks. It was filled with sadness and bitterness.

She could only look away from the blond, dare not to defense herself. Rei had not offered any answer because she did not have any. If what she did seven years ago was her act of betrayal, so beat it, she had betrayed their trust and nothing could change that. She had never felt so weak in her life. It was the moment where she felt so helpless and desperate.

"DON'T!"

When all of them were too caught in the confrontation, they did not notice a little presence behind them. Minako startled as she felt small arms encircled around her waist. "Please, don't! Not Rei-chan!"

"R-Reiko!" Rei smiled as she saw the little girl. Seeing Reiko somehow lifted the burden on her shoulder. The helplessness was gone and there was no more desperation. What left was relieved.

"Rei-chan!"

Reiko removed herself from the tall blond and went to the raven. Minako withdrew her sword, allowing Rei to bend and exchange hug with the little girl. Then, she pulled back and ran through a quick check on Reiko, seeing if she wounded.

"Are you okay, Chibi?"

"I'm okay. Are you okay, Rei-chan? You have a lot of blood before. I thought you're going to die…"

Only smile escaped from the raven lips. She hugged the little girl again, hoping to give her the assurance that she needed. "I'm recovering so don't worry about it"

They stayed like that for a while. It was a simple hug but for Rei, it was the most comforting thing she had for the day. She was glad that Reiko was there with her. She was truly glad.

"Rei", Usagi interrupted them. "Is she-"

The little girl quickly cut in as she turned around and looked intently at the four blue eyes staring at her. "Please, Usagi! Rei-chan is very nice! Please don't hurt her"

Minako was about to answer back but felt a hand placed on her shoulder. She understood the unspoken gesture and decided to stop. She had no reason to disobey.

Usagi smiled at her blond friend and replied to Reiko. "She will be fine; we are just going to bring her upstairs"

"Really?"

"Yes, Minako was just greeting 'Rei-chan'", Usagi winked at the little girl while teasing Rei for the cutesy.

"With a sword?"

"It's Venusian way of doing so, right, Minako?"

Not bothering to answer back the question, Minako just turned around and left the dark dungeon. Rei and Usagi could not help but felt the Venusian princess was not happy at all.

* * *

The masked man sat on a gold made chair. In the dim room, his white armor with gold crest of the two swans on the chest was clearly visible. Then another man was kneeling on his knees in front of the masked man. He was wearing the same white armor but less glamorous than his master. The man named Elliros was bent there, not daring to look the furious blue eyes.

"I never expect the Kunoichi could fail. What a disgrace for a fallen warrior"

It was the same displeased tone Elliros always heard. The young man did not dare to rupture the angry man and chose to inform him quietly.

"I had been informed that they were transferred to the Moon, Your Highness"

"It seemed our princess came at wrong time", the masked man snorted. "After all these years, they are still united by fate again"

"What should we do, Your Highness?"

"Prepare yourself; we are going to move our 'own' plan ahead"

"The plan? Are you sure, Your Highness?

"Should not you be happy, Elliros?"

The younger man smiled in return as heard the news which pleased the masked man. "I am, Your Highness… Then, I shall inform the people and the princess"

"Good… you're dismissed"

The young man continued to smile and left the room. After the door closed, the masked man did not move from his spot. He sat there on his throne but the displeased on his face gradually gone.

"Fate… I'll show them that there's nothing called as fate. I'll break their bond forever and this kingdom will be mine alone"

The mask man was just smiled maliciously on his lips.

-**Day 15 Month 2 Year 444: Moon**-

Rei open her eyes again and she was not lying upon the cold stone bed anymore. This time, it was a real mattress with soft red satin bed sheet. They moved her right after the three people barged into her cell. She could not believe she felt so beaten off only after such small ruckus and she fell asleep right away after.

She looked around and noticed she was in her old room back when she was still training in the Moon Kingdom. All the furniture and design of the room was never being change. She still could see the black sofas and the red curtain were still intact. The wallpaper, wardrobe and even the desk and chair were untouched. The raven felt guilt in her heart. She never expected that any of her friends would keep her room although they knew she was dead already.

Then, a loud knock woke Rei from her deep thoughts. She called out, asking whoever interrupting her to come in. The door opened and her eyes trailed off to the other two people. "Ami… Makoto…"

One small woman with blue hair stood beside a tall brunette. Both of them gave no hostile feeling towards Rei, only genuine smile instead. The raven smiled back at them, feeling grateful for it.

"Can we come in?"

Ami, as polite as ever, was looking nervous and so did Makoto. Rei was feeling nervous herself. It was a really awkward moment but she would not miss it for the world.

"Of course, come in"

They approached her bed slowly and stopped as they were closed to the bed. There was no word could describe their meeting. They were exchanged glances, looking for changes or resemblance but what most important was their expression. There was pleasantness and astonishment in their look.

"How are you?"

"Much better, I guess…"

Makoto gave a nervous laughed. "Sorry, I really don't know what to say… I'm really happy to see you, really, I am"

"I already reminded her to not welcome you with a hug because I don't want the same thing happened to you with Minako"

Rei remembered and thanked the blue hair woman for pointing it out. "Yeah, better save it another time… Thank you, Ami"

"Come on, you guys, pinning to the wall and hugging are two different thing"

The two laughed at the brunette. Makoto was never changed but not for her appearance. She had her brunette hair cut short and it made her looked even more masculine. But behind the strong Jovian looks, Rei always remembered her as a real softy and very easy-going. In the other hand, Ami looked seemed not changing her style at all. But somehow Rei felt she had become more radiant and confident. The genius was always kind and level-headed as long as Rei could remember. She was her most reliable advisor in everything except love. Then, she realized that both of them had the exact same hair-style. It might be a trend right now to have a short hair but who knows. All of them were like family to her including Usagi and Minako. They were so precious that she had taken them for granted for her own selfishness.

"We really missed you, Rei"

Ami's word just made her guiltier. The smile on her face had gone, replace with apology look. "I'm sorry…"

"You should! We thought you're dead, you know"

"Mako!" The blue hair woman protested.

"It's okay, Ami", Rei knew that Makoto never meant any harm and sometimes, she was just jealous to her honesty.

"I'm glad to see you alive, Rei… and frankly, I've wanted to beat you up for disappearing like that"

"Makoto! Seriously!" The brunette stopped talking after being scolded twice.

It was hilarious to see her two friends but something fishy about the two princesses that Rei could not get it right.

"What's with the fight?"

They saw Usagi was at the door with Minako by her side. Along with them, Reiko came from their back, running to her eagerly.

"Rei-chan!"

The raven greeted her little friend as she tried to hug her from the bottom of the bed and Rei hugged her back with one arm. While hugging, she looked up to Usagi. She could not help but stare at the two blond princesses since she did not notice their appearance much at the dark dungeon. Their looks resemblance was unmatched just like in the old times. They always called them twin but certainly, their personality was totally different. Usagi was more free-spirit, clumsy sometime and really care with people around her. As for Minako, the blond she knew so well seven years ago, she was resilient, brave and a little stubborn yet friendly. Rei could not help recalling the memory from the other day but the way the Venusian princess acted this morning, somehow silenced the raven to confide. She felt there was certain thing changed in Minako which she could not tell and she wished not to pursue it further.

"Thank you for taking care of her"

"You're welcome, so how you feel?"

"I'm great, thank you for giving a lot of thought about me, Usagi-"

"You have no right for calling Serenity like that. She's a queen now"

"Minako!" Usagi scolded her comrade. "I'm sorry, she's always sensitive about it. I much prefer to be called Usagi anyway"

Rei was not sure how to respond. She was surprised to news but then her attention was given to the little blond who was tugging her shirt. "Rei-chan…"

"Yes, Chibi? Why you're whispering?"

Reiko went to her side and continued whispered to the raven ears. "Isn't she THE Princess Serenity? Nene told me about her. She is the princess who lived in the big castle that we saw from our home"

The Martian could not help giggling with the adorable act. Then, she whispered back to Reiko. "Apparently, she was a princess and now, she is a queen"

"Really?" Reiko was asking loudly and the raven nodded back while kept giggling at her. The little girl realized how loud she was and then went to whisper again. "Then, is she…"

Rei heard the girl's said to her and it was a funny request. "Why don't you ask her yourself. Usagi, Reiko wants to ask you something"

"Rei-chan! I was asking you!"

"What is it, Reiko?" Usagi came closer to the bed as she smiled to the little girl.

Reiko was nervous to ask but Rei kept pushing her. So she decided to blurt it out. "I saw the library the other day and I am wondering if I could go to there. There's a book that I want to read"

"Wow, you're just like Ami. She likes to read too and she knows every single book in the library", Usagi pulled the genius to her side and Ami just followed the young queen with a little blush on her cheeks. Reiko's nervous face suddenly changed to enthusiasm as she found someone shared a same interest as her.

"Really?"

Ami nodded shyly but had gotten excited as well. "What kinds of book do you like, Reiko?"

"I like romance and adventure story but I also like history and poetry as well. They have much harder vocabularies but I like them!"

"That's quite impressive", everyone could not hold their gape towards the two bookworms. They could not believe seeing a six-years-old who likes to read history and poetry and the genius only comment was 'quite impressive'. Seemed they had been living in different world from the rest of them. "So what book you are looking for?"

"It's called 'Moonlight Legend'"

"M-moonlight Legend?"

"Yes"

"I've never heard of it. Are you sure that is the name?"

"I am sure. Nene told me about it and I just want to read it myself"

"Okay then, let's check the library together later"

"Yay! I'm going to the library, Rei-chan"

Rei went to pat the little girl. She was somehow happy to see her making friends with the others. As Reiko went back to talk to Ami again, the raven continued her conversation with Usagi.

"I couldn't believe you're a queen now, Usagi. I hope everything is alright"

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"We were worried too at first but she did pretty well you know. She has taken her throne as the Queen of the Moon kingdom and the leader of the Moon Alliance as well since-" Makoto stopped, looking apologetic as her eyes turned to the young queen. "I'm sorry"

"It's okay, Mako", Usagi smiled at her friend and then looked back at Rei. "I took over the throne since… My mother, the Queen Serenity XIII disappeared six years ago"

Rei was shocked by the news. She had been wondering about it but she was not expecting this turn of event. "I'm sorry"

"I have been through it so don't worry about it, Rei"

"Yes, you should not worry about it. Actually, there's nothing you should be worrying you because you're going away anyway"

"Minako, please stop this", Makoto told the blond softly. There was hesitation and understanding in her voice that Rei understood as well.

"I'm just speaking on her behalf so she doesn't need to worry for being mean and distant-"

"That's a mean thing to say, right, Rei-chan!"

The raven stared at Reiko with troubled face. It was innocent comment but Rei knew it would displease Minako. The blond princess was stopped halfway and Rei could feel Minako's face was getting redder. She could burst out anytime soon.

"W-what?"

Before Minako could burst further, Makoto cut in right away. She went to pick Reiko up and sat her on the bed. Reiko was confused and not sure what happened but decided to stay still as she saw the satisfying smile on the brunette's face. "I like you, Reiko. You are one brave little kid"

"I'm not 'little kid'. I'm six and a half years old, and thank you but I like Rei-chan better"

Makoto laughed at the child's attic and gave her a pat on the head.

"I still like you anyway. Just be a good girl, okay? Let me know if you need anything"

"Um… There is something"

"What is it?"

"Can I speak with Rei-chan alone?"

The brunette was confused and so did the others. Without asking her further, they decided to grant the request. "Sure"

"So Rei, I'm going to check on you in five hours. You need at least 144 hours to recover so make sure you get enough rest"

"She means you need six days rest", Makoto winked at the raven, knowing she was teasing the Mercurian. "I'll see you around"

Without saying anything, Minako headed to the door right behind the first two, still pissed off with the incident before. Rei felt aches on her chest as her eyes followed the Venusian to the door.

"Bye, Reiko-chan", Usagi waved at the little girl and then stared at the raven which was noticed by Venusian. "Bye… Rei"

When the door behind them closed, the little girl was still looking down with her legs swung on the edge of the bed. Rei saw the little amethyst eyes looked sadder somehow.

"Are you okay, Chibi?"

"Yeah…" Reiko answered softly. She stopped swinging her legs and looked at the raven. "Can I hug you, Rei-chan?"

Rei was speechless, confused with the little blond's question but did not questioned her further. She smiled and raised her arm. "Sure"

Reiko did not smile back but quickly climbed the bed and went to hug Rei. She placed her small arms around the raven's neck and hid her face on Rei's shoulder. Suddenly, the raven heard a cry.

The little cry was audible but was not loud enough to be heard from outside. Rei did not know why the girl cried all of the sudden and tried to reassure her.

"Chibi, don't be scared okay? We are safe here, they are nice people"

"N-no…"

"Why are crying then?"

"I-I was scared… that… that you will never wake up…"

She could not believe that a little girl could hide her feeling this much. She felt the pain seeing the little girl's sadness and how much she cared about her. Rei returned the hug and kissed the girl's forehead.

"I've promise I'll bring you home, didn't I? So, don't cry okay?"

Reiko nodded while trying her best to stop her cry.

"You want to sleep here tonight?"

"Can I?"

"Of course, just don't forgot to wash yourself before going to bed"

Reiko complied happily and went to the bathroom immediately. As for Rei, she rested herself back to the bed and looked at the ceiling. She was thinking about her day. She had been thinking about this day to come and she expected a rougher treatment. She did not expect her friend to understand her situation but she did not expect to be received with open arm as well. She was too cowardice to face her sin and her fear. She had made people she loved cried and hurt. She felt like she did not deserve this friendship they offered her and she did not expect Minako to forgive her.

"I'm sorry…" The sad whispered was shared with no one but only the empty room.

Unseen by the room occupants, the door was not fully closed. Behind the door, two figures stood, hearing quietly. Minako was the first one to leave and then followed by Makoto. They walked in silence towards the end of the hallway where they were passing the open-air corridor connecting to the other wing of the Crystal Palace.

"I told you, there was nothing to worry about", Makoto disturbed the silence. She raised her arms as she enjoyed the night time fresh air.

"It's called precaution"

"We all know that our Rei could never do it and Reiko is a sweet girl as well"

"It could be an act, both of them could be. Just don't let your guard down"

It was a quiet night and what was heard only the grasshoppers' nightly lullaby. The wind blew softly and a crystal like planet shone brightly in the night sky. Makoto looked at it and wondered. Something that was so beautiful could be deathly as well but people would always say how beautiful it is.

"Do you know about Pandora's Box?"

The abrupt question just caught Minako off-guard. She was confused by her friend's action. "W-what? Why you asked?"

Ignoring the question, Makoto continued her tale. "First, it was not a box but it was a jar, and second, it said Pandora, the first woman Hephaestus's created by Zeus' Order, received a jar and instructed by Zeus to keep it closed. But she had also received the gift of curiosity which at the end made her to open the jar. When it was opened, all of the evils, ills, diseases, and burdensome labor that mankind had not known previously, escaped from the jar and became a plague forever"

"So I heard… Your point is?"

"I'm not finished yet. It is also said other than those misfortunes, at the very bottom of the jar, there lay hope"

The Venusian did not reply as the story ended but Makoto did not stop at that.

"Minako, it's not only you who is suffering. We all suffer as well. But in those desperation, all of us always hope for a miracle"

"What miracle could it be?" It was sarcastic but Makoto knew well that Minako knew what she was talking about.

"I believe that Rei came back or fate does it for a reason, Minako"

The blond stopped on her track and turned to see Makoto. The brunette made no movement as well and noticed the blue eyes' watery glance.

"When we lost everything, I didn't see the reason for it and I don't see it anymore, Makoto"

It was words formed out of desperation and anger. Minako turned back and walked away as she let her tears running loose. Makoto signed and continued to walk into the open-air corridor, following the blond.

"All of us never lose faith in Rei… Never"

**Author's note: **

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I was just happened to name it 'The Pandora Box' because I was recalled the myth and somehow it inspired me a little to use it in this chapter. Hahaha… XD

I really need help in grammar department but unfortunately I have trouble in managing my time, and I'm really sorry about it -_-'

If anyone noticed, I took the book's title 'Moonlight Legend' from Sailor Moon Opening Theme (Moonligh Densetsu). I am planning to make a story out of it but we will see how it's going :)

Actually, I hate writing Minako in this chapter (she's so bitchy), I hope I don't have to write this side of her in the future (except if it's really necessary)

Thank for reading and review pls!


	7. Chapter 7: Enemy in the Mist

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 07: Enemy in the Mist **

-**The Night Before**-

It was a lively night in the capital city of the Moon Kingdom, the Silver Millenium. The image of the Earth was stunning behind the Tsuki No Palace magnificent architecture. With the glitter of the rich city light and a clear full-size of a beautiful crystal planet shone upon the Moon's dark sky, nothing would stop the people from celebrating the moment of joy and peace. But no one ever knows what lies ahead in the future.

Unknown to the civilians, an amiss had crept into their territory when a spaceship appeared. It was flying in the dark sky, blending into the night quietly. Apparently, something was emitted from the deck of the mysterious spaceship. One objects and then followed by few others, were released as they dived into the city with incredible speed. Shouts were heard among the crowd when they heard the impact. Rooftops were destroyed and ground was scared. Some people ran away to safety but some was not lucky enough to get away. Then, it stopped. The West part of the Silver Millennium had become silence. No one dared to step their foot near the craters from the impacts and no one knew disaster was waiting quietly in the dark.

-**Day 18 Month 2 Year 444: Moon**-

"But it was impossible, Rei"

"I know it sounds impossible but that is what happened, Ami", Rei responded the genius skepticism.

"You're saying that you fell from FORTHY thousand feet and managed to get away with only broken ribs and few wounds with unscratched girl in your arm?" The Martian could understand Ami's 'logic rules' and she would not gone believing it herself if it was not her who had it. "Okay, I'm done"

Ami just finished changing the raven's bandage and it was not surprised that the ghastly wound had healed up faster than she predicted. It was just one of those abilities given to the royal bloods. Rei wondered how her friend's 'logic rules' never question their 'ability'. But she chose not to argue about it or she would die first with Ami's lecture. It was not because she did not trust her friend but even a royal blood could not sustain the damage done by such height or escaping death.

"Thanks-"

"Whatever reason it is, both of you could have been killed from the falling"

It was endless. The topic came up when the raven accidently mentioned about the fall and now, Ami made a fuss about it. She did not want to hide things from her friend but given fact that she was alive after that incident, it was something that she could not explain herself. Even she believed it was far from miracle. There must be reason why it happened but she was as clueless her friend.

"Let's leave it like that. I don't know what exactly happened and thinking about it will not help"

Her blue hair friend did not hear her. Ami was placing her hand on her chin while her eyes focused down at the carpet as if she was looking at it intently. But she was not staring at the carpet and Rei knew that looks. It was the face when Ami does not give up on her subject. After all these years, there was just something that never changed when it comes to facts but she doubted that it would give her an answer this time. She needed to distract the genius from squeezing her brain further.

"So, what's up between you and Makoto?"

Instantly, Ami looked at her with horror and her face blushed so badly that she looked like when she drunk. It was the only moment that Ami would lose her composure and the only time of glory for everybody even for Usagi.

"W-what are you talking?"

"I'm just wondering since the two of you are getting really close"

"W-we always close to each other and to everybody"

"Ah… Really?"

"Yes!"

Rei tried to hold her chuckle. She had no doubt that anyone would notice how they cared towards each other from every exchanged gestures and what most prominent was Makoto's haircut as well. She did not need any verbal confirmation for it but she just loved to tease Ami once in a while.

"Hm… Maybe I wasn't seeing right… It has been long time…"

"You're right…" Ami had calm a little and the blush was gone quickly as it came up. "Rei… Don't think too much about Minako's attitude"

"I don't blame her … I understand"

"No, you don't. She might be harsh but I know she is happy to see you alive and so did all of us"

"Thank you, Ami", Rei looked at Ami and she saw the kind eyes, giving her assurance. She was content to able to meet her friends again. The raven never regretted it. But there were certain things that could never be erased even with how hard you try to repay them.

"You're always welcome here… Just remember that…" Ami smiled at her friend while she rose from her seat and putting all her equipments back to her bag.

"Rei, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything"

"It's about Reiko…" The raven froze for a while. She had anticipated about this topic and she tried not to reveal anything about the girl. She did not know everything but the experience for the past few days had confirmed her that Reiko could involve in something dangerous. She had to be careful in telling people about it. But she was not expecting what Ami was about to ask.

"Is she your daughter?"

Rei first response was just staring at Ami's curious face with mouth opened and blank eyes. In a moment, she thought her brain must have gone wrong from the fall or something to hear such question.

"W-what?"

"I'm asking if Reiko is your daughter"

This time, Rei's brain managed to digest the genius question and she could not escape the blush on her face. "OF COURSE NOT! H-how could you think that?"

"From several characteristic like her eyes"

"Well, amethyst eyes is quite common in Mars"

"Not only that, I realized you two have the same gaze and Makoto said sometimes the same smug", Ami smiled as she told the brunette's comment and so did Rei.

"I'll get back to Makoto later"

"But her hair… definitely is not Martian"

"That's what I'm trying to find out"

"You're helping to find her home, aren't you? Do you know where she is from?"

"She doesn't know. Seemed she did not have any idea where she lived"

"That's odd. You sure she is not running away from home?"

"I don't think so…" Rei had never considered that. The girl said she missed her family but she just could remember where her family is. Maybe Reiko was really running away from home and maybe she stayed with Rei so she could follow her for protection with no intention of going back home. But if the family was looking for her, they would not send assassin to kill her. The raven became unsure whether finding her home was a good idea but it was the only way to fulfill her own curiosity.

"But you might be right. She couldn't be running away. She's such a bright kid. I'm sure her parents taught her well"

"Yeah… The strange is she has never been anywhere in her life until now. I mean kid in her age should have been gone to quite some places"

"Not all kids has the same privilege as we do"

"But not all kids can speak Motonian that well"

"Maybe her guardian is a teacher. It's compulsory for the royal family but it doesn't mean ordinary family can't"

"She's not coming from ordinary family… I think"

"Why you think so?" Ami asked as she resumed packing all her equipments into the bag.

"J-just my feeling, really…" Rei almost spilled it all out but it was not for them to concern about this. Suddenly, one name came up to Rei's head and she thought the genius might know something. "Ami, do you know anything about Kunoichi?"

Suddenly, Ami dropped her bag to the ground, startle Rei on her bed. The blue hair princess looked astonished and her face turned pale.

"Are you okay, Ami?"

"Y-yeah", the genius quickly picked up her bag, dusting it for a while which Rei found it unnecessary.

"You sure-"

Again, Rei was startled opened door. Makoto suddenly barged into the room, look like she was rushing.

"Hey, you two"

"Don't you think you should knock first? You scared us to hell!" The raven complained.

"Sorry but I need to talk to you, Ami, pronto"

"O-okay, see you later, Rei"

When they exited the room, the brunette sensed something was not right. Ami was very quiet, in fact, too quiet.

"Are you okay, Ami?"

"What? Oh, sorry, Mako, what did you want to talk about?"

"It isn't like you to space off, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, don't worry…"

Makoto did not believe her word. "Can we stop for a while?"

"I thought you want to talk about something. We can go to-"

The smaller princess was surprised as Makoto pulled her into her arms. Ami shared no word and quietly returned the embrace with her eyes closed. It was a very intimate embrace and the brunette was not planning to let Ami go for a while.

"What's wrong?"

The whisper on her ear just made Ami trembled uncontrollably. She could feel her body was increasing in temperature and the soft voice kept echoing in her ears. All these feelings made it hard to think straight.

"N-nothing"

"Liar…"

It did not stop at that. Makoto placed a soft kiss on the woman's earlobe which adding more reason for Ami's body to shiver. Then, she trailed her kisses on Ami's neck and the Mercurian could not hold her moaning. Ami felt the torture had stopped and she could feel Makoto's forehead against hers. Her eyes were still closed as she felt the other's breath upon her dry lips, wanting to be moistened so badly.

"Ami, I-"

When Makoto's breath was getting closer, Ami began to hesitate. "NO!"

She pushed Makoto away, leaving the woman shocked and mostly, disappointed. Ami could not bear to see that expression and ran away from the brunette. Makoto wanted to stop her but she just stood there with her hand clutch as Ami disappeared from her sight.

* * *

Reiko sat in the porch by the open corridor, looking over the large garden. She swung her legs, looking bored but her mind was wandering something. It was the dream about vaguely blond woman and then a vision about a man who was angry with another blond woman. Ever since the time Minako found her and Rei, the dream had become more frequent. Somehow, she felt the man was awfully familiar to her but she could not remember where she heard or seen him.

"Hey"

The girl turned around and surprised to see her raven friend.

"Rei-chan!" She stood up to hug and noticed Rei was winching a little from the sudden touch. "You're still hurt, you should rest"

"I'm okay, it's not as painful as before. Anyway, I need a little bit of fresh air. What are you doing here? You look bored"

"Not really…"

"Why don't you go to the library?"

"Don't feel want to"

The raven amazed and worried at the same time by the response. "You've always got excited when it comes to books. Everything's okay? Anyone treats you bad?"

"No, everybody is very nice to me except the mean lady"

"Who?"

"Minako"

"Who you're calling 'm-e-a-n' lady?"

They were surprised when they heard the annoyed voice. Rei turned around to find Minako with her eyebrows twitched, looking very displeased. Then she felt a little tug from the back where Reiko hid behind her. She did not blame the little girl for that. It was very rare to have anyone survived after Minako's wrath literally. Either they were gone the next day or scar for life.

"I hope you, as an adult, understand your responsibility to teach your daughter some manner there especially not to badmouthing others"

The raven could not understand why people began this rumor about her having a child. She wanted straight things up but Reiko came up first.

"S-see? You're mean to Rei-chan again and to me"

Minako never expected a reply but seemed she did not mind finding a challenger. "It's not mean, I'm teaching you a lesson"

"Rei-chan has never been mean to me. She's very nice and she likes blond"

Rei stared at Reiko with surprised eyes. She could not believe what she just heard and all of them were too caught up in the conversation that they did not notice the raven's red face.

"W-what?" The blond princess clearly surprised as well and lost words to reply back at the same time.

"C-Chibi!" Rei whispered to the little girl but obviously, it was not heard

"Rei-chan is not like the other Martian, she doesn't hate Venusian even after the Galactic War"

The red burning face suddenly turned pale. The raven could feel changes in the atmosphere. It was no longer an awkward moment, the two adults were petrified as the truth reminded them the very worse.

"Reiko, stop"

"Rei-chan will not hurt anyone-"

"I said enough!" It was a simple shout but they noticed the angriness in it.

"But, Rei-chan, she-"

"When I said it's enough is enough! Do you understand?"

Reiko was utterly shocked by the outrage. Before she ran away, the last looked she gave to Rei was filled with hurt. "I hate Rei-chan!"

Rei signed in desperation. She felt angrier than before but it was not towards anyone but to herself. She was ashamed that she was angered by the truth, and ashamed for hurting the little girl.

"It must be hurt to disappoint someone who trusts you that much"

Minako added her sarcasm and it could never torture Rei more than this.

"Can you just stop that?" Rei was a clear annoyance in her words. She could not tolerate her behavior any longer.

"What?"

"Being pain in the ass"

"How dare you!"

"I don't know how they keep up with you but I had it enough!"

"Of course you wouldn't understand because you weren't there! We were there for each other when we lost something precious to us, we took care of each other in time of fear and we fought our way back together to this point. You just don't know how much we've been through because you weren't there!"

Rei's words were dead in her throat. She had no right to speak on that. The blond outburst was not a surprised but when the angry blue eyes began to shed tears, Rei was troubled. No further words shared between them, only cry was heard while confusion struck the other. She always imagined that Minako would slap her or anything but not crying in front of her. The raven could have never been able to face those teary blue eyes that showed her the vulnerable side of Minako and only wished to put her at ease.

"I'm sorry…"

"Why… Why you came back after all this years? What do you want from us?" Rei became even more speechless. She did not know the answers to Minako's question and the blond kept continue.

"Can I trust you?"

The darkness in her heart started to crawl back to the surface. It pulled her back into pool of misery. Rei felt as if she had been awakened back to the reality and the days she spent with her friends was just a mere dream that happened within seconds. She always wished the dream never ended but the fear of the damage she could cause was too great.

So, she had decided.

"I never wished to hurt anyone especially you. I don't expect to be forgiven… because I never forgive myself", Rei turned around and began to walk away, leaving the blond behind her. "Good bye, Minako"

The blue eyes followed the raven as she vanished from her sight. She should have been angry towards the raven but she could not understand herself the purpose of her tears. She could not understand why her heart filled with despair as her knees fell to ground, resting on the cold ground with tears kept falling from corner of her eyes. It pained her when she thought of the raven and she did not know the reason for it.

Suddenly, she heard noise from the bushes. Minako turned around in defense stance while her eyes scanning around the area.

In the other side, Reiko was laid still on the ground, praying she was not being noticed. She was creeping behind the bushes when she saw Minako and decided to hide for the time being. When she tilted up to see the older blond woman, she was surprised that the Venusian was nowhere to be found. Reiko signed in relieve. She looked around again to make sure no one saw her and made her way to her object of interest, the old oak tree.

The tree was so big that it was taller than the palace's wall itself. As she reached by the oak tree, she was not done yet. Reiko climbed up the old tree and in few minutes, she was at the three-quarter of the tree and stopped at one of the tree branch. Then, she noticed the palace wall was no longer there. She had climbed surpassing the wall. In front of her, there was the astonishing sight of the Silver Millennium and she had to thank Makoto later. But her mission was not accomplished yet. It was the city beyond the palace's wall where she was going and she was already half-way there. She continued to crawl across the branch carefully and she stopped when she reached where the branch intersects with the wall. She took out a rope and tied one end around her waist, and the other on the tree branch. She pulled the rope to test its strength before heading down to the other side of the wall. She took a deep breath and went to grab onto the rope, and slowly, began to climb down.

"Where are you going?"

Reiko shrieked as she heard the voice. When she lost her concentration, her feet were slipped from the wall and her hand could not hold the rope alone. As she was falling down, she closed her eyes, waiting for her body to hit the ground. She landed at the end but she did not feel the hard surface at all. She opened her eyes to see herself was held by two slender arms.

"You-are-in-really-BIG-trouble, young lady!"

"M-mean lady?"

"I have a name you know"

"H-how do you know that I'm here"

"Don't think that only Makoto knows everything about this palace"

"L-let me down!"

"Is that how you thank someone who saved you?"

"I didn't ask to be help, just get me down!"

Minako surprised as the little blond forced herself out of her arms. As soon as Reiko felt her feet on the ground, she ran. But she was not moving forward no matter how hard she was running and felt the older blond was tugging her shirt.

"I ASKED you where are you going, young lady? Beside it's a dark alley here, it could be dangerous", Minako kept a firm grip on the girl's clothes, making sure that she is not getting away.

"Let me go!" Reiko did not stop pulling forward.

"If you keep being stubborn, I'm bringing you back inside"

The struggle stopped. The little girl felt tired from her effort and gave up. "I want to go to the library"

"We have library inside"

"It's small"

"Still, I can't let you go -"

Minako stopped talking when she saw a glint of tears on the corner of the girl's eyes and surprised to see the girl's eyes.

"Your eyes… it is amethyst", she said quietly. She had never noticed them before and certain memories began to come back to her as she stared deeply into it. Minako saw them before and she knew right away, it was none other than Rei's. Strangely, she could not help but felt it was not much a different from the raven. They both had these deep-set amethyst eyes framed with long eyelashes which was intriguingly mysterious and beautiful at the same time. The eyes that had gave so much memory and so much pain, yet she never wanted to stop staring at it.

Minako noticed the frown on the little girl's face with her eyebrows twitched as hard as she could to hold up her tears. Reiko was angry but mostly to cover the sadness she was trying to hold. It was the same looks she had whenever she looked at Rei and Reiko. She could not help but felt anger to replace the agony. There was always feeling to blame Rei for her ignorance, for her lies, for the pain that Minako had been through. It was all her self-justifying act. She was too indulged in it that she had forgotten what she truly felt. Suddenly, Reiko was no longer had her frown. She was surprised as tears slowly poured down upon Minako's cheek.

"Why are you crying?"

After hearing the innocent question, Minako realized the steam of water upon her cheek. She did not know why she had the tears and was confused herself. She wiped all her tears and took a deep breath. When she breathed out, a miracle happened; there was no more pain in her heart.

"D-don't cry", Reiko said with her eyes filled with tears. Seeing the older woman cry, Reiko was not able to hold her tears and cried as well.

Minako did not expect the two will shed tears together. She gave the girl a hug which was returned back by Reiko. "Reiko, I'm sorry… I never meant to make you sad or mean… Can you forgive me?"

Still warped in Minako's hug, Reiko was just nodding and still in tears.

"So, don't cry then…"

"O-okay"

"Why are you still crying?"

"Because Rei-chan is a BIG MEANIE! She was so mean! Maybe she really hates blond"

Minako was laughing. She could not help it since the 'blond' thing always sounded amusingly ridiculous.

"Why are you laughing? I'm angry you know!" The frown on Reiko's face grew. She was too focusing herself glaring intently at the laughing woman that she had forgotten her tears. As she was getting more annoyed, Reiko gave a very cute angry face while sniffing her runny nose. Minako found it adorable and she could not stop laughing for more. Since Minako failed to take the situation seriously, Reiko decided to ignore her and headed off, leaving the older blond behind her.

"W-where are you going?"

"To the library!"

"H-hey, wait up!"

Minako followed the little girl as they went out from the dark alley and entering the lively market. The big street seemed small as the crowd gathered in each every market stand, making it hard to pass by. The older blond struggled following the little girl who had easier way since she was small. The crowd decreased as they turned into another street in the intersection which is much quieter. They were now walking in a curved street with a row of tall buildings on it that seemed to be houses. They were at one of the orbit streets. It was easy for Minako to remember the street in Silver Millennium since the design was quite resembled the solar system. With the Tsuki No Palace as the center like the sun, was surrounded with four layered-circular roads like the planet's orbit. From the palace as well, roads were built crossing the circular layers in four directions; Diana Path to the North, Chronos Path to the South, Inner Path to the West and Outer Path to the East. The circular orbit streets were named after the planets except for Earth. Towards the Inner Path to the West, the four layers semi-circular Orbit Streets were named Venus Orbit, Mars Orbit, Mercury Orbit and Jupiter Orbit. In the opposite direction, there was Saturn Orbit, Uranus Orbit, Neptune Orbit and Pluto Orbit.

She saw Reiko had stopped walking. Minako followed her and realized they had reached their destination. They were standing in front of a tall ancient building, taller than other building beside it. It was a beautifully crafted two-stories building with three grand entrances and a high slender fluted columns decorating the building frontier. Between the niches of the columns, there were four grand statues stood tall and looked magnificent. Even for Minako who was not a fan for coming to a library, the sight was always breathtaking.

"The Great Library of Hermes"

"Yup, the Great Library of Hermes named after the Mercurian God, Hermes and built by the first ruler of Mercury, Queen Athi Hermes Mercury as the symbol of friendship between the Mercury and the Moon when the Moon Alliance was formed. That is why it has a huge influence from Mercurian architecture. The four statues there symbolize wisdom, knowledge, intelligence and valor which are considered as the virtues of the Mercurian. It's so much amazing compare to what they said in the book!"

"How do you know where it is? You've never been around here before"

"It's all explained in the book; from the Tsuki No Palace to follow the Inner Path and turned at the Mercury Orbit in the direction to Apollo Path"

Only the word stunt or amazingly stunt described when hearing the lecture from a six-years-old. If anyone said she is the distant relative of Ami, she would believe it for sure.

"You really into books that much?"

"It's fun reading books since I can know so much thing from it"

"You never play with your friends?"

"I have Nene, Arti-chan and Lulu-chan, but they never played with me, only studying and sometimes they were just telling me stories"

"Do you have friends that the same age as you?"

"No"

"Seriously, you never play?"

"Um… Well, I only played with Rei-chan"

"Play with Rei?"

"Yeah, we went for hunting"

"That's… a very dangerous 'play'"

"It was fun! I caught four snakes by myself and then I scared Rei-chan with them from behind"

The blond warrior could help but to chuckle, imagining the Martian scared face. But then, she realized Reiko had become very quiet. She looked at her and saw her face turned sad.

"I always spent my time reading because I can forget about sad thing…"

"Why you feel sad?"

"I… never know my mother and I never have a father. My mother died right after I was born so I never know what she looks like. Nene said I look just like my mother"

Minako did not expect to hear Reiko's story and it struck her to her own family. She pitied her for her misfortune during such young age and she understood something; she was lonely. The blond princess went to squat in front of the girl with her arms folded so she could see the girl eye to eye.

"Reiko… If your mother is here, I'm sure she will tell you the same thing as what I am going to tell to you. She loves you and she will be sad to see like this. She wants you to be happy"

"How do you know? You're not my mother", Reiko said with faint sound of sobbing and her eyes started to fill with water again.

There was silence. Reiko did not notice the sad expression that Minako wore. The blue eyes were filled with the past memory of lost and pain that still could be seen now. "My mother died few years ago as well. I was sad when she left me but I always believe she is up there, overseeing me and it always calms me. I believe that your mother is doing the same thing like my mother. She sees you from up there. She just can't talk to you directly but she will always protect you. If… I have a daughter, I am sure that is what I want to tell her, to be happy"

"You think so?"

"Yes…"

Quickly, Reiko wiped out all the water in her eyes and made a big grin, showing her small teeth as she looked up to the clouds. "Mother, I'm happy now!"

It was hilarious that Minako laughed again for the second time and the girl smiled at her. The frown was no longer there and the amethyst eyes were shined with sparks. She felt the vibrant in those eyes, the same one she saw in Rei long time ago. Then, her smile wore out as her thought went back to the raven girl.

"Now, I think it's time to find Rei"

Reiko stared at her foot while kicking the empty ground. She only responded with another frown and hesitation in her voice. "But…"

"Listen, there is something that you have tell someone about how you feel", Minako realized something. She did not feel the confusion anymore and her heart felt lighter. "I know you don't hate Rei. That's why you were angry and sad. You can do things like reading a book to forget all the bad things but you will never rest because all the bad things are still there"

"But, I said I hate her… For sure, she hates me now…"

"I… did bad thing to her too… but we can always fix it"

"How?"

"Say we're sorry… I'm sure she will forgive us. Like you said, she is a nice person"

"You think so?"

"Yes, I can assure you that"

Reiko smiled at the answer and immediately took Minako's hand, pulling her to get up. "Let's go, Mean Lady! We should apologize to Rei!"

"You're still calling me mean after I helped you?"

"After we apologize to Rei, then I'll call you something else"

"Okay, okay…" Minako got up and walked hand-in-hand with the little blond.

"Hey, Mean Lady"

"Yes?"

"Thank you"

Minako looked at the little blond and smiled. "You're welcome"

Suddenly, their quiet moment was disturbed by a loud crashed. Both of them turned around to see some of the houses' roof tile fell down. People who passed by began to panicking and ran when another crashed heard and more tile falling down. The shouts became louder as some civilians were hurt by the incident. Minako did not know what had happened and wanted to find out but she could not leave Reiko on her own. She decided to follow with the crowd, bringing the child back to the palace.

"Come, Reiko! Let's go back to the palace!"

"O-okay"

It was hard to run since it was crowded. Reiko could not see anything and she was just followed the older blond's hand for guidance. But then, one woman among thousands of other silver hair civilians stood out. It was the hair that distinct her particularly from the others; it was made into pigtails, hang down from two spherical buns on her head, just like Usagi's hair. Reiko recognized her right away.

"N-Nene!"

Minako was surprised when she felt the small hand was no longer holding hers. But it was too late. By the time Minako turned, Reiko was nowhere to be seen.

"Reiko!"

* * *

"Where are you at, Minako?"

Minako heard the brunette's voice from her bracelet; a communication bracelet. It was one of Ami's great inventions.

"I'm in intersection of Inner Path and Jupiter Orbit. How come I never heard about the incident happened last night? You're on city patrol today, right?"

"Sorry, I was- distracted for a while… and I didn't get the chance to see you after my morning patrol. I was reported about it this morning and I have gone to investigate it. I asked civilians around and they gave the same description as you said. There's no trace of dangerous weapon and I've never seen craters that deep"

"Neither I am… Usually you have great instinct with this kind of thing"

"There is no trace of particular smell that I recognize, only burn and soil smell"

"Did you check with Ami?"

"Um… No… Not yet"

"It's everything okay, Makoto? You seemed a little off"

"I'm fine… I'm on my way to the scene, any luck with Reiko?"

Again, she was forced back to remember the Martian. "No…"

"Did you see Rei? I couldn't find her"

"No…" There was a clear disappointment in Minako's voice but she refused to talk further about the raven. "I've inform Ami and she will come as well. I leave this matter to you and her while I'm going to find Reiko"

"Um… Sure"

"Good. Minako-out

The conversation ended and Minako could not shrug the feeling that something was really wrong with her friend. But she had no more brain for another matter in her head and began to look for Reiko again, still with disappointment. While walking through the less crowded street, her thought went to a certain raven woman again. She was hoping that Rei was not really leaving but somehow she knew that the Martian would not leave without Reiko. She was sure about it. Even if she was wrong, she wanted to believe it that way because she wanted to.

She reached the intersection of Inner Path and Mercury Orbit again where she lost Reiko there. It was easier to investigate since the area had been evacuated due to the incident before. But even how many times she walked around there, there was no trace of the girl at all. She heard her calling a name that she had mentioned during their conversation before. It must be her guardian and probably she found her already. She was getting worried where the girl's whereabouts. Even if she met her guardian, she would let her know about it.

With desperation, Minako entered the alley where she last saw Reiko for the hundred. Still, she found nothing. She stood in the dark narrow lane, looking thoroughly for something unseen. It was hard enough to see in the dark and the damp lane made it even harder to find any traces left behind. Then, she felt her foot stepped on something wet and sticky. She looked down to see she had stepped into a mud hole. Minako grunted in annoyance and when she was about to pull her foot, her eyes caught something by the mud. She looked closely into the mud and something sparkle came to surface. Minako could not believe her eyes. It was Aphrozakroz.

Before she laid her hand upon it, suddenly she was startled by the tap on her shoulder. She took her rapier out and swung it around as she spun to see Rei stood before her, parry the attack with her own blade.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Reiko and then saw you here. What are you doing here?"

"It's… Reiko. She's missing"

"W-what? How come?"

"It's a long story, now, help me finding her!"

"Where did you last see her?"

"Right here then, she was gone", before Minako could explain further, she saw the raven's expression turned pale and began to mutter incoherently. "Do you know anything?"

No words were shared and Rei decided to just walk away, knowing Minako would not give up.

"Wait, let me help you"

"No, Minako. Stay out of this"

"Is there something you never tell us about Reiko?"

"I'm sorry, I can't…"

"What is exactly you're hiding from us?" Rei was reluctant in sharing what she knows and Minako saw that. She was not going to get any answer and she could not hold her anger any longer. "FINE! You don't need to tell me, then, can you explain THIS?"

The raven managed to turn around but she was not looking at the blond. She was more focused on the weapon in Minako's hand. "Where did you get that-"

Rei reached out her hand to Aphrozakroz and when she touched it, suddenly everything went dark.

_A group of people was gathering in a gold hall surrounded by massive columns. They were using black clothes, covering their whole body even their face. All of them stood in array in front of a beautiful painting, depicting the sun as the centre of universe and planets surrounding it. They were not there to marvel around the astonishing. They were staring at two unconscious figures in the middle of the room, a child and a woman in long silver hair._

"_We must go before she awake", a feminine voice was heard as she stood right by the unconscious child, looking closely at her._

"_The ship was on its way, Buchou"_

"_Good", the Buchou turned around and about to leave the place. "Make sure she was harmless. We needs her alive"_

_The woman turned to see the beautiful painting that she had missed to begin with. She stared at the center of the painting and looked at it with hard eyes._

"_May Apollo bless us all" _

Then, the darkness had gone and the vision as well. Rei was able to breathe again. It was just a snap but she felt she was absorbed into the darkness for a really long time. She could feel she had this cold air surround her when she saw the vision and it was still there.

"W-what was that?"

She realized that Minako was still there, standing in the same position opposite her where she and the raven had their hands touched the sparkling dagger. Rei had her stare on the blond in front of her where the blond had these confused and surprised expressions. Rei imagined that it would be the same expression that she had now.

"You saw it too?"

"Yes, group of people was conversing and Reiko… and… No, it could not be her…" Rei knew what the blond was thinking about. It was the other unconscious figure beside Reiko. She was confused as well but dared not to reveal the impossible. What they could do was to check it for real.

"Everything will be clear when we find where Reiko at"

But Minako had something else in her mind. "Is it your power? To see the future?"

She gave no answer to the question. It was another thing that worried her. She had never had a vision in this way and it always when she emptied her mind. But now, she pushed the thoughts away and focused on finding Reiko. Then, she realized something from her vision, a very clear clue. "The Diana Temple"

"What?"

"They took Reiko there"

The blond recalled the vision and then remembered. "The gold columns and the painting…"

"Let's go"

* * *

"Makoto"

"A-Ami"

"Did you find anything?"

"I haven't looked at the new crater. It looks like the other crates", it was so hard for her to speak with Ami. Her mind was only filled with regrets and she could only think about the blue hair woman. "Look, Ami, I'm sorry about this morning-"

"I-I'm going to look at the crates", without even giving the brunette a chance to speak, Ami walked away, heading to the other craters which was few feet away from the recent one.

Makoto did not follow her. She stood there, only looking at the genius. Her face was showing rejection and unbearable pain. Her brain just froze, making her unable to think anything. Her right hand roughly combed her short hair. At the same time, she wanted to rip of her scalp and clamped her head into pieces. She had never felt this emotional before. She wanted to disappear.

Then, suddenly she lost her balance and tripped into the crates.

"Damn it!" Her back landed on the burning ground and she felt a little strain from the fall. Before she rose up, a familiar smell caught her attention. Makoto examine around her, trying to find a clue that she might missed in the earlier crates. She took a handful of the crater's soil and began to smell it.

"Makoto?" When Ami came back, she did not see the brunette around and there was no response. She peaked at the crater nearby but it was nil. Makoto had disappeared.

-**Diana Temple, Moon**-

Temple of Diana was one of many Moon Kingdom's greatest treasure. It was located at the end of Apollo Path and only the Diana's priest was allowed to enter the holy temple. The priest was none other than the queen of Moon herself. It was a belief that the heir of the kingdom must be blessed by Diana, the Moon Goddess before becoming a queen.

But today, the holy place had been tainted by unknown intruders. There were thirteen of them but the two were being tied with their eyes closed with a cloth, one a woman and the other was a child. The Kunoichi stood around them, waiting for their next mission, except for one.

One Kunoichi stood far from the others, deep into the temple where she was admiring the painting. It was the most beautiful painting that she ever saw and her blue eyes could not look away.

Then, another one left the circle and approached the unraveling Kunoichi. Afraid to get too close, the arriving Kunoichi bent down few feet away, bowing to her superior. "Buchou, it's time"

"That was fast"

"What should we do with the 'lady'?"

"Keep her. She might be useful"

"Then, we will bring her to the ship first"

"Do it then"

The Kunoichi nodded and rose to complete her task as the 'Buchou' was staring at the painting one last time when suddenly she felt a familiar aura and another not so familiar one were closing in. Quickly, she turned around and loudly warned.

"Hide them right away! Somebody is coming!"

But she was too late. Rei had charged into the temple, petrify one of the Kunoichi. After she defeated one, Rei took the time to scan quickly the room and saw the child. "REIKO!"

The rest of the Kunoichi began attacking the outsider while some was trying to escape, bringing Reiko and a woman. Rei recklessly advanced towards her enemies and so did the Kunoichi. One by one she parried all the attack and not a single blade crossed over her skin but she must admit that these people were really strong.

Then, she heard a familiar chanting and before she realized what it was, the same ball of light in front of her but instead of one, there were five of it. Four of them missed her but she was not lucky with the last one.

"Damn it!" Rei barely missed the last shot. She looked at her ripped left sleeve and she felt the burn sensation on her arm.

The seven Kunoichi stopped in their track as they felt a huge burst of energy aura came from the raven. Then, they saw rage in the woman face and most noticeably, her golden eyes. All of the sudden, screams were heard among them. Before they realized, Rei had reached at the back of the formation without anyone noticed, attacking them. Clearly, they were surprised at the raven sudden increase in power and speed.

"I got Reiko!"

Rei quickly turned her head to where the other two Kunoichi escaped with Reiko before and saw Minako stood there with one Kunoichi on the ground. Reiko was in her arms, safe and sound. But then, the raven shouted.

"Minako, behind you!"

The blond turned around and found another Kunoichi was swung her blade towards her. She heard the sound of slicing flesh and blood spurted out. Minako was frozen to see Rei appeared before her and protected her from the blade.

"NO!"

Minako caught the wounded Martian with one hand while Reiko was in her other hand. The blond was still shocked but realized it was not her who shouted. She found another intruder had arrived. Makoto unexpectedly appeared in the temple and quickly trashed the rest of Kunoichi on the floor with her mighty fists.

The Buchou who had the same shocked expression after attacking Rei, went to attack Makoto. The brunette was as agile as her attacker. She managed to defense the blade with naked hands and then threw away it away, making the Kunoichi's leader weaponless.

"T-that moves-"

"_**I know who you are. I can smell your presence"**_

The woman surprised when Makoto suddenly spoken in Motonian.

"_**W-who are you?"**_

"_**Revenge is worthless. The soul of your ancestors will never rest well"**_, the Kunoichi was surprised even more when she realized who Makoto was.

"_**Silence! Only cowards to say that! We will show those cowards the rise of the Motonian warrior and we will show the world how mighty we are!"**_

The intruder ordered her warriors and then disappeared.

Minako was left watching at the whole thing. She was sitting with Rei on her lap as the enemies were vanishing one by one. She was still shocked and confused. She could feel her body was tensed and there was these guarded feeling emerged when Makoto turned around to stare her in the eyes. She could not help but feeling the anxiety towards the brunette for the first time.

-**Tsuki No Palace**-

The blond princess sat on the chair far by the bed where Reiko rested on. Ami was there as well, doing her examination on the little girl. It had been a long day for Minako. Her body wished to give her a rest but her brain would not. There were so many things to learn and so many things to think. Then, she heard a knock on the door and Usagi appeared.

"Is she okay?"

"Ami is checking her right now"

"I heard Rei is wounded again"

"Yes… Ami gave her more stitches but it's not life-threatening", Minako felt the burden in her heart. She had this guilt of making Rei's wounded.

Then, Ami walked to them after finishing her examination. She had less tense face compared to when she tended Rei and gave a small smile. "Reiko is fine, a little rest will help her a lot"

"Thank you, Ami-"

"Damn it, Rei! Stop!"

Their attention caught in Makoto's voice from outside the room. Then, they had the door opened and Rei came in with her hand holding her wounded shoulder. The brunette was behind her, looking annoyed.

Ami rushed to the raven, preventing her from moving further. "Rei! You should rest, you wound-"

"I'm leaving"

"What? Why Rei?" Usagi came towards the raven as well.

"My existence here is a mistake and I'm no longer part of the royal family. I'll leave as soon as Reiko awakes"

"What are you saying? It doesn't matter whether you are part of the royal family or not. You are always belong here, Rei! You're our friend!"

"I agree with Mako, Rei. Beside, you have not completely healed yet"

"Don't worry about me, Ami. My wound will heal in time. I really appreciate your kindness but I do not deserve this"

"This is about Reiko, isn't it?" They were all had their attention toward the blond princess at the back. Minako had moved to beside bed with her hand rested on Reiko's forehead. "Those people… they are after Reiko, right?"

Rei did not say a word. Instead, she went towards the bed, passing through the others who were still confused by Minako's testimony.

"But why?" Usagi was the first one to break out of the silence and only curiosity showed on her face.

The blond princess turned her head as her eyes stared the closing amethyst eyes. Rei stopped moving closer, stopped by Minako's stares. The blue eyes were asking the raven to give them an answer. But for Rei, there was no answer.

"I don't know why… That's what I want to find out"

"Where you find her?"

The raven still had her eyes on the blue eyes and from the look of Minako's only wanted one thing from the Martian, the truth. No more secrets, no more lies. Rei was willing to give them.

"I found her in the street of Neo Olde Tokyo while being chased by an assassin"

"What are you doing in Earth?"

"I was… hiding. It was the only place where people would not recognize me as Martian", Rei continued before anyone would interrupted her. "I know what you're thinking. I could be working with the enemy and slipped here to gain your trust but I am not. I never worked with them and never will. My decision to leave is because I don't what Usagi to be in danger"

"Don't Rei", Usagi grabbed the raven's arm, begging her not to leave.

"They know where she is and sooner or later, they might attack this place. They are strong, they are not ordinary people. I can't protect all of you but at least, I can protect her and you guys will stay out of trouble"

"Coward", Minako went to face the raven and grabbed Rei by her collar.

"Stop it, Minako!" Usagi tried to stop but it was useless.

"You're a despicable coward! Don't use Reiko to run away from us!"

"I will not lie about that… I do not deserve to be here. All I can do is causing pain to all of you"

"You think if you leave then all of us will forget all of our pain?"

"I hope that to happen"

"Then you're wrong! You ran because you are afraid facing our anger and disappointment but did you ever considerate for not being there for our loss?"

"I AM the cause of all pain, and being here would not retrieve back the one who has gone!"

Then, they were all shocked when Minako slapped the raven on the face.

"But you're not gone!"

She was stunned again as Minako hugged her and the raven felt the wetness on her chest. It was a quiet cry but Rei could hear the weeping and grasp on her collar was stronger than before. Rei had seen her cry twice but she did not know how to face Minako's fury and pain. It pained her to see them.

"P-please, stay… stay for me, Rei"

It was the first time Minako ever called her by the name. There was no anger or bitterness in it. It was just a gentle call. She embraced the crying woman as tightly as she could, hoping to erase all the pain from the woman's heart. Rei just wanted to keep hugging her, to warm her from the cold, to save her from the loneliness, and to assure her always. But she knew better than anyone, she could not careless any longer. Nothing could describe her fear of what might happened ahead. She had no idea what she was facing or what should she running away from. But one thing for sure was the enemy that she had known so well. Her worst enemy… is herself.

**Author's note:**

I'm sorry for the really long update! This chapter is really taking me some times and this could be the longest chapter I ever write XD

There is a great influence of Roman and Greek Mythology (which I just scramble them together, sorry XD) and I love those myth. For the Great Library of Hermes is the copy of Library of Celsus in Ephesus, Turkey but it has the touch of ancient Greek as well.

A lot of things going on between the inner senshi and hopes you guys like it (and hope not too confusing since this chapter is really long!) :) Thanks for reading and please review!


	8. Chapter 8: Hide and Seek

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 08: Hide and Seek**

-**Day 23 Month 2 Year 444: Moon**-

It was the same morning when Rei woke up after her deep slumber and again, she felt the same sun warmth, hearing the same birdsong and looking at the same reddish room. She was lying flat on her stomach on her comfy bed with still half-dreamt mind while her bland amethyst struggled to open. She just wanted to rest her eyes again but it was just not possible when a soft knock was heard on the door. Like any other morning, Rei knew her day would be greeted by the same person who visited her every morning as early as the sun rises and it was not Ami.

"Rei, can I come in?" The same voice rang from behind the door.

"Come in" Rei called out as her eyes began half-opened. She felt her back was strained from the recovery. Slowly, she rose up with the support of her arm and hand when the fine mahogany door gave a soft creaked, and Usagi's face appeared.

"Rei! You should rest!" Usagi quickly walked to the raven, helping her to sit up properly.

"You don't need to treat me like a sick person, you know"

"You ARE wounded"

"Not today, Usagi"

"Not until Ami decided that you are fit enough to walk again"

It was always the same argument they had, a good way for waking up someone. But she appreciated the Queen for taking her time early in the morning to visit her since Rei could not go anywhere. Ami had forbid her from leaving the room since she knew that the raven would not rest quietly. No words could be uttered against the genius because she was always right.

"I'm fine, really and I'm happy that you are waking up this early to visit me but you don't have to"

"Non-sense! I want to see you… It has been a long time since we have moments together, just like back then. Beside, I'm quite busy during the day, so I took extra time to visit you"

Rei smiled but felt happy yet sad at the same time. She felt there was so much changes that she had missed in her friends' life. She was happy how everybody changed for the better but it saddened her when she realized she was not part of it.

"Rei, something is on your mind?" Usagi suddenly asked.

No one could escape from the Usagi's divine heart. She could tell when someone at their hardest and then healed them. Rei knew that better than anyone and realized there was just something that never changed.

The raven smiled blandly as her heart felt lighter for the first time. "You are really an angel, Usagi"

"Pardon?"I

"Nothing"

"Liar"

Only laugh came out of Rei's smiling lips as she stared back into Usagi's blue eyes, only to remind her about the another blond. It had been five days ever since she was locked up in the same room, and it was the same time from her last encounter with Kunoichi and so far, no moves had been made yet, hopefully never. But what agitates her more was she had not seen Minako since. As much as she wanted not to involve with the blond, she could not help thinking about her for the past few days. She kept remembering the brief touch and kept slapping herself from recalling it at the same time. But she still could not get rid of the sensation on her skin. She wanted to see her.

"How's Minako?" Rei asked boldly.

Suddenly, there was disappointment on Usagi's face as heard the question. Rei noticed that. Before the raven could ask, the disappointment had disappeared and changed into small smile. "She's been busy with patrolling with Makoto. Ever since that incident, we've been increasing our security especially at the atmosphere border"

Guilt came upon her heavy shoulder and Rei was looking away from the blue eyes. She decide leaving her friend would prevent her friends from any harm but ironically, she was the one that made their safety in jeopardy. She had nothing to say other than one thing. "I'm sorry"

"Rei, it's not your fault-"

"This is what I'm afraid of! What if at the end they endangered your people, you and the others?"

"Rei, calm down. We will be okay. I trust Minako and Makoto to do a good job so those people won't break-in twice, and Ami will investigate this so called Kunoichi"

The raven stared back at Usagi again determinedly and replied with more stern in her voice. "This is my fight, Usagi. I'm the one who wanted to protect Reiko and I will take that risk alone"

"It's our fight now, Rei. Reiko has become part of us. You can't change that"

They went into silence. None of them continued to exchange arguments but Rei's conscience was still struggled inside. She still refused to look at the queen's eyes as she felt anger inside her. Rei knew they were trying all they can to protect her and Reiko but the raven was simply declined to be protected. She did not want to involve anyone into this and it had never been her attention to seek their protection.

"Rei, I have to go", Usagi broke the silence. It was a statement but it sounded like rejection and disappointment for Rei as she kept her eyes away from the Queen. The raven did not see but she knew the sad smile on her friend's face and it was because of her.

Rei just nodded and still did not look at Usagi. She heard the blond steps, leaving her towards the door. The steps stopped after she opened the door. Usagi stood there for a while and Rei could feel her stares on her. Then, the blond left.

* * *

"Can I?"

"Better not"

"Please"

"I don't think so"

"PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, MINAKOOOOO"

The puppy eyes just melted any heart away including Minako. Finally, she surrendered. "Alright, alright, I will ask Ami"

"YES!" Reiko cried in excitement.

Minako signed as she was tired of keeping the little blond away from Rei, harder than patrolling the whole cycle of Moon's atmosphere. Ami had restricted anyone for visiting Rei which included Reiko. She thought the exile would make Rei well-rested without anyone disturbing her more so often. Minako was glad with the restriction. It was just giving her reason to not visiting the raven.

It was not like Minako hated her but she was not so forgiving herself. Minako had no doubt in Rei's innocence if the raven was the same person she knew back then. Suddenly, the blond shuddered as she remembered the memories from years of Rei's absence. It was painful even until now.

"Amiiiii!"

Minako surprised by Reiko's yell. She was so eager to find Ami that she forgot to behave. The Venusian signed again and then smiled. It was impossible to resist Reiko's charm in some way. She is very likeable in a lot of ways and Minako loved her very much.

"Hi, Reiko", Ami greeted when she noticed the little girl approached her, give her a hug. The genius smiled but then turned serious. "What did I tell you?"

"Ups. Sorry, no running and yelling in the corridor"

"Good", the genius smiled again and then saw Minako approaching. "Hi, Minako"

"Hey, Ami-" The blond greeted back but was interrupted.

"Can I visit Rei-chan, Ami? Please, please, please"

Ami giggled. "Sure, she is a fast healer. I just need to make sure the wound was properly healed and then I can release her"

"Healed already? That is sure fast"

"I'm surprised myself… Even Makoto never had that high healing rate"

Speaking of Makoto, Minako suddenly remembered something. "Reiko, why don't you visit Rei now? I am sure she will be happy to see you"

"Aren't you coming, Minako?"

"Er, no… Maybe next time. I need to talk to Ami"

"Okay", without thinking long, Reiko left and went to the direction of Rei's room.

Minako eyes followed the little girl, making sure she was not turning back. When she was sure that Reiko was out of their sight, Minako turned her full-attention to Ami. "I need to ask you something"

"What is it?" Ami asked curiously as she noticed the secrecy.

"I want to know more about Motonian?"

"You are quiet fluent already, are you not?"

"Er…_**I want to know about the Motonian Tribe**_", Minako spoke in fluent Motonian.

Ami was surprised with the sudden changed of language. Of course she would. Usually, they were using Motonian for communication between higher-ups when it comes to something important.

"_**I… don't know much about it. As far as the book said that they were extinct long time before the formation of the Moon Alliance. Nothing else**_", Ami answered calmly but something was not right. Minako felt every word was clear enough for her to understand but she could not shrug the uneasiness in every word Ami just said.

Minako's mind went back to the history classes she had when she was young. She always remembered vaguely about the Motonian Tribe since there was not much to learn about them. It was said that the Motonian was the first mankind existed in the universe and the first to create a civilization on Earth. However, they vanished century before the new era of civilization and the strange part was none lived to tell about them until the Mercurian discovered the lost civilization.

It was too amiss. Somehow, Minako felt that there were more to be told. "_**There got to be something, Ami. Can you find more information about it?**_"

"_**Why… are you interested in them all of the sudden?**_"

The rigidness became clear. Minako did not notice the hard eyes beneath the calm demeanor. Ami just could not hide it, not in front of Minako. The truth died in her throat. Everything about her suspicion about Makoto and how the Kunoichi could speak Motonian was buried once again inside her mind and now, Minako felt the same insecurity that she felt when she was around Makoto.

"Nothing", the blond said with a wide smile, a perfect smile. Behind the perfect mask, Minako was confused and dubious. But the show must go on and the perfect mask had done its job once again although she hated to use it against her friend. "Recently, I've became addicted with Motonian, that's why I was asking"

"Oh…" Minako played her part well as the tension in Ami's eyes had disappeared.

"By the way, I have to go. Need to do my patrol now", Minako waved at Ami good-byes. But before she was far away, she turned around and spoke again in Motonian. "_**Ah, just to let you know, Makoto is off-duty tonight. Maybe you two should spend more time together. You should make up with her**_"

"H-how do you know?" Ami replied in nervously.

"_**They called me mind reader for nothing**_", Minako winked and left the blushing Mercurian behind.

Minako reached her room and entered quietly. When the door behind her closed, her façade was released, showing only doubt and confusion. She thought that Ami could help her but the shone in the blue eyes Mercurian made Minako doubt. Other than Makoto, it was only Minako who knew the Kunoichi was mastering Motonian flawlessly… she thought so. Since there were no sources to know Kunoichi whereabouts, the blond thought that they could find whether they were related to Motonian Tribe. Not much people spoke Motonian and it was mostly used for royalties and aristocrats. With the lack of information, Minako once again lost but her feeling told her that something was going to happen. She could sense that the answer was just right in front of her. She needed someone to help her to investigate this and only one person that she could confide all of this. The blond took a deep breath and exited her room again. She had a patrolling duty to do first.

* * *

There was the sound of clinking glasses as well as laughter filled in the pack room with silverish hair people inside. It was easily to guess what place it is from the smell of cigarette's smoke and hint of alcohol in it. The bar always crowded at nighttime and it was the only place where all kind of people gathered after their long day of work. One brunette was sitting by the bar, talking to no one but her half-drink beer.

"Hey"

Makoto turned around as she heard the call and was surprised. "R-Rei?"

The raven did not wait for Makoto's invitation and sat right away on the bar stool. She waved to the bartender and ordered her drink. "One shot Tequila"

Rei felt the bartender strange look but ignored it and then looked at her friend beside her. Makoto was no longer surprised and smirked at the raven instead. "Tequila huh? Someone is ready to get drunk"

"Make it two", Rei added to the bartender who nodded coldly.

Then, the Jovian grabbed Rei's arm, pulling Rei closer and whispered, "You shouldn't be here"

"Don't worry, I told Ami that I just need a quick fresh air"

"First, this is NOT a quick fresh air, and secondly, YOU really should not be here"

Noticing the firmness in the brunette's voice, Rei scanned her surrounding and began to realize. Whispers and glances were directed to the two princesses. At first she thought they were just unaccustomed for having foreigners ever since the war. There used to be more people gathered with more merchants and travelers from other planets but the war had damaged the ties between planets severely and travelling was not a choice any longer since it was seen as danger.

Rei turned her glance back to her friend. With just one look saying 'spit it out', the brunette knew Rei was demanding explanation. Signed, Makoto drew her hand from Rei's arm and took long sip of her drink before leaving the glass empty. There was distance between them but it was closed enough that the raven still could smell the alcohol in Makoto's breath and hearing her low voice.

"Ever since the attack, people began to feel restless. The tension is everywhere and people are assuming that another war will start", Makoto stopped as the bartender approached them, bringing two shots that Rei ordered before. They thanked him but were replied coldly. Rei did not think this act strange any longer as she began to sum all the facts. Her guess was right when the brunette finished her story. "And a rumor has been spread that the attack was launched by the Martian"

"They saw me", Rei responded after the brunette stopped. She glanced at her drink while toying her index finger with the circular edge of the glass mouth. Her thought was filled with the incident from five days ago. Of course when a raven hair woman who obviously their enemy standing in the middle of a complete chaos situation was just enough fact for the rumor to start.

"With the current state, we can't blame them for thinking this way but we also don't want this false accusation to be spread", Makoto added with concern voice.

The raven knew that Makoto's concern was aimed for her. But Rei saw no flaw in their conclusion and she felt that the brunette should not waste her concern. "They are right, Mako. I caused this to happen"

"Rei, this is not your fault. Okay? Now what we are trying to do-"

A loud pound startled Makoto when Rei hit the table's surface as hard as she could, grabbing attention from surround them. The raven did not bother, only to be filled with anger. "Why can't you just stay away? Just stay away from this! I just don't want you guys to be in danger, THAT'S IT! Why can't you understand?"

"Did you listen to what Minako said at all?" Makoto was still surprised but she managed to reply with tone as furious as the raven although much more subtle.

"W-what? Why this has anything to do with Minako?" Rei was still angered but completely clueless to Makoto's retort.

"She wants you back, you IDIOT! All of us does! Can you understand that? I thought your BONE HEAD understood that already when she cried to you, begging you to stay!"

There was no longer subtle in Makoto's angry voice and it seemed Rei got the message. The whispers around them grew louder and they could hear people started talking about their little fuss. It was the brunette's turn to look around, giving killing stares towards the Lunarians which effectively scared them for eavesdropping any longer and went to mind their own business.

Rei was not paying attention to her surroundings and she did not have the heart to care anyway. She was again caught in the middle of her guilt. There were always times when she regretted the choice she made but she shrugged them, thinking it was for the best. "I don't want to involve you guys in this. There is too much danger already-"

"WE faced danger already and still all of us in danger right now but we can get through it, Rei. We can get through anything… but not losing a friend"

Makoto had calmed herself down as she came to her memory of losing her friend. As for the raven, she stared down on her still full shot's glass. "Losing people we loved is just part of life"

"True and that is why we know how important they are. That is why we try to cherish what we have in life", Makoto added. Her stares never left Rei. "I want to keep all of us together and I want to cherish every moment of our friendship. That is why I am trying everything I can to protect what I have now"

No words shared between them. The crowd's noise rang around them but it was quiet enough for Rei to think Makoto's last words undisturbed. Then, smirk expressed upon the raven's lips as she kept stares on her drink. "Since when you've become the wise one"

"Just speak from the heart", they shared small laughter together. Makoto took her tequila and raised it towards Rei. "Here, to commemorate our friendship"

The raven followed Makoto. "To commemorate our friendship, cheers!"

They swallowed the drink to its last drop, burning as it gushed slowly in their throat. They placed down the small glass with a loud thud against the wooden table and could not help hissing as they felt the burning taste left.

"Ahhh! I just HATE this drink", Rei faced down to the table as her head leaned on her right palm, feeling uncomfortable.

"It's Minako's favorite", Makoto abruptly interrupted Rei's meditation. She looked smugly at the raven as the brunette had already recovered from the burning sensation. "You never like to drink before. You hate drinking"

Rei did not reply. She kept leaning on her hand and her breath became loud and inconsistent which began to worry Makoto. "Rei, are you okay?"

Still, there was no reply, only incoherent rambling which Makoto could not hear. Anyone would know that Rei was bad, really BAD with alcohol. The brunette realized that there was just something that never changed. Makoto began to regret for letting the raven to drink.

Suddenly a loud thud heard when a chair fell on the floor. A man who was obviously drunk with his red face was bothering their neighbor.

"W-what did you say?" The drunken man was standing on top of his fallen chair, facing a man at the neighboring table. He was a big man but not fat. His muscular body just made him looked massive. "Did you say the rumor is a scam?"

"N-no, I didn't", the man from the other table was not drunk. He was small compared to the drunken man and visibly, he looked wary.

"I heard you! Don't you lie, you bastard! I saw that raven woman right there with my own eyes!" The drunken man pointed her finger to Rei but the raven was not paying attention as she began to feel dizzy.

"I saw her too but I did not see her attacking anyone. She was just running with Princess Minako", he said reasonably in small but clear voice.

The drunken man grabbed the smaller man collar and raised him from his chair. "Traitor! Imbecile like you would not understand!"

Then, the big man threw the thin man in Makoto and Rei's direction but not far enough to reach them. The thin man fell on the floor right under Makoto's stool.

"Hey! No fight allows!" The bartender shouted and Rei was fidgeting from it.

"Shut up! I'll teach this bastard a lesson!"

Finally, Makoto stood before the scared man under her and stopped the big man from approaching. "Sir, I am asking you to leave. You are causing an unnecessary commotion and disturbing the others. Please, leave immediately"

The man did not challenged back as he felt Makoto stares gave him a chill. Everyone knew not to mess with the royalty, not only because of their extraordinary power but also the punishment of doing so. He backed away slowly. Makoto was no longer maintained her eye contact and decided to help the slumping man to stand. But he never intended to shut his mouth.

"What do you understand about us? You are Jovian! The way you speak and your hair, you are different from us! You could betray us, turning to those Earthlings anytime! How can we trust you?"

Makoto turned around and looked at him again. "I can assure you my alliance. I will never betray the trust of your Queen"

The drunken man sneered slyly at Makoto. This time, he was not as scared as before and the alcohol had taken him beyond the point of sane. "The Queen? What did she know? Ever since she took over, it was just getting worse! And just look at her hair! It's blond! Lunarian never have blond hair! She is no true Lunarian! We should be lead by a REAL Queen! Not some imposter who is claimed to be the true descendent of the Moon!"

It was so quick and before anyone blinked their eyes as the drunken man was thrown towards the table, destroying it on the way and ended up on the floor with the wood's ruin. All eyes were on the figure that stood few feet away from the fallen man. She stared at him with hatred in her amethyst eyes.

"Don't you EVER say that about the Queen! YOU HEAR ME!" Rei said in between her still stagnant breath. Her face was as red as the drunken man who had consumed ten times alcohol than she had but she was ten times more volatile than him.

Makoto bit her lips, cursing for not seeing this to happen. She should have known that unsteady Rei would be dangerous than anything. She left huge amount of money on the bar and quickly went to grab the raven. "Rei, we should go home"

"W-what? But I-I just came-" The raven was clearly drunk.

"You are DONE! Let's go!" Makoto pulled her towards the door. She mentally signed and reminded herself to not bringing Rei to any bar again. She was even worse than Ami.

"He started it first!"

"Just go-"

Suddenly they heard a shout came from behind and then, came a sound of glass breaking against a hard surface. Rei was a little too late when she turned and to catch Makoto slumping forward. She looked at the big man who already was standing. He was furious and his left cheek was redder than the other parts of his face, marking where the raven's fist had left him. Upon his hand, he held the bottle's muzzle where the other end had been broken, leaving sharp-edge-cutting-glass smeared with familiar red liquid.

Rei's eyes wide opened and then she started to feel wetness on her clothing. She looked down and found the same red liquid on her clothes and Makoto's head. Her heart was beating faster than before and she felt the same red liquid was rushing towards her head. She felt the burning sensation had grown more but it was not the same uncomfortable sensation, it was rage.

_

* * *

A woman was running in the corridor of the Tsuki No Palace. As she passed through the garden's corridor, her long blond hair was shone brightly, expose by Earthlight that hung in the dark sky of the Moon. She was in such hurry that she was not thinking of enjoying such scene for that moment. Once she reached her destination, she stopped by the huge door to the Queen's bedroom where a tall woman with wavy brunette hair stood there waiting as well. Before she could ask, suddenly cries were heard behind the door. The blond woman face was mixed up between happiness and anxiousness._

_Then, the door opened and nervously, the blond woman approached another woman with short blue hair who just came out from the room. Her pace was faster than the blue hair woman who seemed to be pregnant. From her petite figure, it seemed she was in her six month of pregnancy. _

"_How is she?" Asked the blond woman as she sounded more worries than happy._

"_She is safe and sound"_

"_The baby?"_

_The blue hair woman smiled and carefully, gave her friend a hug. "The three of them are fine! Congratulation!"_

"_Three?"_

"_Be careful with your belly, Anya. Don't squeeze your baby", the blue hair woman named Anya looked at the brunette and stuck her tongue out. This time, it was the brunette who was approaching. The blue hair woman pulled away, letting the blond to receive another hug from her other friend. "Congratulation, Ann"_

"_Now, now, you need to go. She is waiting for you", Anya interrupted._

_The blond woman nodded and headed to the door. She stopped for a moment and turned around to see her friends. "Thank you, Anya, Miwa. Thank you very much"_

_Not waiting for their responds, Annako turned around and then went to the room when suddenly the image blurred itself, changed into nothingness._

* * *

Rei abruptly breathe in as if she had stopped to respire before. Her amethyst was opened, vulnerable to the Earthlight shone in the dark sky of the Moon. She was sitting on the long bench by the garden corridor. It was nothing but darkness with a little light from the lamppost and the Earth itself. It was the same scene she just saw in her vision. It was so real just like the actual scene. Felt like she was there herself. The trembles did not go unnoticed. Her entire body was shuddered, especially her hands. The raven stared at both of her hands, shaking incoherently .She held her hands together, stopping them from trembling even further. She could not help her body to do what they were told to do. It was fear.

Engulfed by anxiousness, the raven was helpless. She began to fear more of her power; how it took her consciousness and mingled her mind with another's memory. She did not see the significant of these visions and she had no power over it. Rei was desperate.

"I was looking for you", the raven did not stared at the warm blue eyes as the Queen sat beside her. "You look horrible"

Rei was confused by Usagi's comment at first. Seemed she was too indulged in her own fear that she had forgotten how she ended up sleeping on the bench. Then, the dizziness from the little alcohol she consumed started to come back and something stung badly on her left temples. When she was going to reach out, she felt pain on her right hand. She looked at her hand and saw scratches all over the joint of her fingers. She remembered now that she had broken her right hand from hitting the drunken man. She surprised herself since she never hit someone to the point of breaking her own hand. She did not even feel the pain when the man cut her left temple with the broken bottle in his hand. She just lost it and now, she felt 'a little' regret.

"I know", the raven said wearily, expecting a punishment from the Queen.

"Brawling was never a good idea, you know"

The calm statement made Rei wondered how long Usagi was going to give her speech before giving ultimatum. Regardless of her own thought, she answered the Queen quietly. "Yes"

"Let's treat you wound, shall we?"

The droopy face was clearly surprised. Rei looked at Usagi's smiling face and it was the raven who was angry. "Why don't you angry with me?"

"Why should I?" Usagi answered calmly despite her friend's outburst.

"Because I broke that man bones into pieces and he needs a major face makeover!"

"I know that, and?"

"Conclusion; I BEAT UP that man into pulp! Shouldn't you punish me? Or at least, pissed off that I was stupid enough to do it! But before you make any judgment, I would argue that that man was mocking you and also hurting Makoto!"

Rei stopped, taking a long deep breath after her speech. It surprised her again that Usagi did not react in different way. She was still smiling, almost laughing actually.

"I'm not mad", Usagi looked at her friend sincerely but Rei kept giving a narrow-eyes-look. "Well, maybe a little but that is not the point right now. I just want to treat you before those wounds get worse"

The Queen stood and grabbed Rei's left hand, pulling her away the cold bench. The walk was only few minutes but the silence made felt longer. In the stillness between them, Rei felt a little child who was getting her detention and she did not dare to say anything since she was at fault for everything.

But she was not getting a detention after all. Rei was brought to Usagi's room and she realized it was the same room she had back then. The wall was colored in white with pink stripes and so did the bed. The white carpet always looked so clean after all these years and most of the furniture was in light pink. Whoever looked at it would think it was a kid's room.

"I thought you are staying in the Queen's room"

They stopped in the middle of the room and Usaid answered quietly. "There is too much memory of my mother in that room. I didn't have the heart to have it"

"I'm sorry", Rei apologized, regret asking it. She should have known why Usagi did not move, the same reason why nothing changed in her own room. Usagi had stayed in that room ever since she was born and it was the very first gift that her mother gave her. What did change was the table. It was no longer the pink study desk that Usagi barely touched. It had been replaced by a large black desk which did not suit the room at all and it was filled with a lot of papers on top. It was hard to be a Queen in such young age but again, Usagi had proven her commitment towards it despite how may she look.

"It's okay. Now, let's treat that wound of yours", Usagi pulled Rei to the bathroom. The raven always remembered how huge is the Usagi's bathroom compared to the other Princesses' room. It was all covered in white marble just like the other bathroom but it was twice as big and they had the walking closet inside. "Sit there. Let me prepare some hot water"

"Let me help you-"

"I said SIT"

Rei did not complain further and decided to sit where Usagi pointed her to sit. She sat on the edge of the big bathtub which was wide enough for her to sit. The hot water was running from the sink and the hot steam began replacing the cool temperature. Usagi came back with first-aid kit and some small towels, and continued preparing.

As the blond was busy, Rei occupied herself with her thought. She could not help but thinking what happened before and she was worried about Makoto. She could not enter the infirmary because Ami was furious, enraged beyond anyone could imagine and Rei knew exactly why. Still, she was in between shame and satisfaction. She felt miserable for dragging Makoto into it but she did not regret for giving the drunken man what he deserved. No one should say anything like that about Usagi. Anger began filling her consciousness and she felt the warm temperature was ignited it even more.

"Hold still, it might hurt a little"

"Wha- OUCH!" Rei was caught off-guard when the warm towel pressed against her temple. The dampness just felt like thousand of needles pricking on her skin.

"Don't move!" Usagi yelled as she held Rei's chin, stopping her from moving.

"Sorry", the blond did not react to the raven's apology as she continued tending the wound. It was still pricking but the raven managed to hold it off. Rei saw how concentrate Usagi was and amazed how different the Queen from the past.

"Okay, I'm done with it. I need to see your hand now", to Rei surprised, it was quick. The wound had been cleaned and plastered properly. Now, Usagi took a seat beside her start analyzing her right hand. Rei was grumbling in pain when the blond pressing hard on the bones at back of her hand and from the look on Usagi's face, it was bad. "I need you to be patient with this one. I need to clean it first before bandage it properly, okay? You should see Ami after this to see the nature of the fracture and I beg you to follow whatever Ami told you, please"

Rei looked at Usagi, amaze by her words. "How do you know all of this stuff?"

"Learn, of course", Usagi answered with a smile.

"I thought you don't like studying"

"I guess now I know why I have to study so I don't become a dumb queen", the raven laughed Usagi followed. "Now, hold still"

This time, Rei had prepared herself mentally when the damp towel touched her skin again. The same prickles but not as bad as the one before. She looked at her hand and so did Usagi who was tending it. The raven had a lot of thoughts in her mind and she just could not wait to ask the Queen.

"Er… How's Makoto?" Rei felt a little rigid. She was not sure how to start it after everything that had happened. But it seemed Usagi did not think about what happened this morning too much and answered sincerely.

"She is fine. There is no major wound. Ami was harsh because she was just worried about Makoto, so don't take it too hard"

"It's my fault so I don't blame her"

"I think you should stop blaming yourself, Rei. There is no one to blame. If someone needs to be blamed, it should be me. If I had not doing lousy job, this thing would not happen"

"No, you are wrong! You are a great Queen! You're working hard on it! That man just can't see how responsible, kind and beautiful you are"

Usagi giggled and responded, "I think the 'beauty' part will not proof how great you are as Queen"

"Beauty goes two ways, the inside and the outside, and I think you are beautiful in both ways. That's how a great Queen should be, right?"

The Queen was embarrassed as heard Rei's flattery. The raven giggled at the blushing face and decided to give Usagi a break. In olden days, they would never exchange words like now. Back then, it was more like teasing and squabbling like cat and mouse.

"Thank you for your compliment. It seems I am not the only who has changed", Usagi replied with once again composure.

"Really? What is that?"

"You've became flatterer yourself. Hopefully, you haven't deceived anyone yet", the raven did not replied, only frowning for a second before Usagi looked up which Rei responded with a small smile.

Usagi's words reminded her to Mineru who she left in Earth for quite some time. She felt guilty for forgetting that someone was waiting for her to come home. She had a new home now and to think that this place where she used to grow up and met her dear friends was no longer her home, it was saddening.

"But I know the fight was not because of it entirely, right?" Rei dilemma was interrupted and realized the topic that she had it on her mind before. She did not say anything right away but she knew that Usagi had known it all along. As she finished bandaging, Usagi looked at Rei and gave her a smile. "I've never known my father or where he came from. No one knew and only my mother knew about him"

"Did you ever think of finding him?"

"Few times but I was afraid about the truth. I was afraid that the reason my mother hides it because of something bad"

"Don't then"

"Is it making me a coward?"

"No, it's not"

"Thank you, Rei. It's nice to talk to you like this again, just like the old times"

"Yeah", despite the teasing and the squabbling, Usagi was the closest to Rei. They were always there for each other and for everything. Even now, Rei still could feel their bond and Usagi would always become her closest friend. "I'm sorry about this morning, Usagi"

"Don't mind it, Rei. It's just like any other morning in the past. We used to fight in the morning when we were young, remember? When you used to wake me up really early after your morning meditation? And I ended up waking up anyway because you make me cry?"

Rei had never forgotten and wide smile formed on her lips. "You were a crybaby at that time. Besides, I was just having a good intention to make sure you were not late for our classes"

"Luna made you, didn't she?"

"My mouth is sealed", the raven forged a solemn look but her eyes had a hint of mischievous. Usagi just could not miss it.

"I knew it!"

Rei laughed at the blond's triumphed smile. Then, the thought of their young tutors came to her mind.

"Where is Luna? And how is Artemis?"

Rei took Usagi's silent as bad news and could not help showing bits of anger on her face. "What happened?"

"They were with my mother at the time…"

A piece and another added into one pile of painful memory. Rei could feel the remorse and nothing could describe her sympathy for her friend. Only a soft grasp on Usagi's hand was she could offer and the amethyst's remorse eyes stared at the others.

"I'm sorry…"

The swelled up could not stop and the blue eyes began to shed tears. Usagi went to hug the raven, carefully not touching the wounded hand. Rei surprised at the movement but decided to hug her back right away. In somber voice, the queen began telling her pain.

"T-there was disruption in Venus and my mother went for a patrol in the Venusian orbit. She had never done it before but she wanted too. It was the 5th day of Month 4 at noon, I sent her to the hangar and 10 hours after, we lost contact with the ship. All the planets joined for her search immediately but it was futile. After a week of search, the council decided to pull back the search team with reasoning we are at war and maximum security was needed. I-I agreed to them, Rei… I couldn't save her… I should have just kept looking for her, I shouldn't stop… I could have stop her in the hangar but I didn't… I… I-"

"Don't blame yourself… It's not your fault…"

"Then who?

In her eyes, Usagi had always been cheerful, kind and clumsy sometime but this new side of her was nothing Rei ever knew. She was a princess when the raven left her duty and now, she had turned to be a queen, a grown up woman who had great responsibilities and pain on her small shoulder. She swore to protect her before and now, she did not see any reason why she should not renew her oath. But she realized herself was simply a coward, just like Minako said.

"You can be angry at fate, you can be angry at the enemies or you can be angry with yourself. There is always something to blame but when it comes to the end, you just have to let it go"

She loosened the hug as the amethyst eyes looked into the teary blue eyes. Rei gently ran her thumb over Usagi's eyes, wiping every single drops of tear left.

"You have to believe that what your mother did was for greater good. Someone told me once that there is reason for everything. Your mother had her reason to go… for the sake of her people, her friends and her family."

When the blue eyes looked up, the thumb stopped and stayed by the blond's cheek. Their eyes stared into each other and Rei had no longer noticed the sadness. It was replaced by a new glint of hope and soft smile on her pink lips.

"Thank you, Rei"

Rei returned her queen with a smile and replied her sincerely. "I'm here for you, Usagi"

It took few minutes before the raven realized the proximity of the distance their face. Now, Usagi was leaning on her chest and her face was only an inch away and she could not help but to observe. Rei's hand was moving by its own, shoving the blond bangs aside as she was staring down into the blue eyes and felt the blow of her breath from the pink lips upon her own. It made her tremble uncontrollably and her heart begun to race.

It was not even 10 seconds that the tremble stopped and so did her heart when the blond queen was abruptly closing the distant and pressing her lips on Rei's. It was a brief touch, like 10 seconds but it felt longer than that. When the lips parted, the raven was at lost. Her face was motionless and any of activities in her brain were completely frozen. It took another 10 seconds for her to realize she forgot to breathe and began to fill her lungs with some air. She looked again at the same eyes who were staring at hers as well.

"Usagi…" She was reminded the name of the person right in front of her but it was meaningless. The only thing her mind had was the yearning. She had stared at the same blue eyes long time ago and without realizing she had been missing it for the longest time. Right in that moment, her reasoning was no longer accountable and then, both of their face went closer until their lips fitted in between each others, exchanging kisses gently and intimately.

**Author's note:**

O_o WHAT?

Okay, regardless of what happened, this is still Rei x Minako fanfic. Isn't it exciting to know how Rei will be able to precede her relationship with Minako when she had Mineru and Usagi on the side? This is just my evil thought (sorry Rei) XD

About Usagi, in the silver millennium, I always wondered why Usagi has blond hair when her mother has silver (or white? That sounds olddd) hair. So, voila! You guys will know soon enough.

Thanks for reading! And I really appreciate for you guys who have been giving review on this story. (I'm sort of crazy about the review, so thanks!) I'm trying my best to give you guys a good reading. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9: Friendship

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 09: Friendship**

-**Day 24 Month 2 Year 444: Moon**-

Usagi's blue eyes opened up as she felt the sunshine burning through her eyes lids. She was still wearing her usual white satin gown which now looked rumpled. She must have forgotten to change. Other than the wrinkled gown, it was no different than any other morning except the soreness on her eyes. It felt heavy and tired. It took all her strength to be able to keep it open. She crawled out of the bed and headed to the bathroom where she stopped in front of the sink. In the mirror hanged above it, the blond could see the redness and how tired her eyes looked. It was swollen from crying.

Her eyes continued to travel into mirror as she looked away from her own reflection. Her stare stopped at the reflection of the bathtub behind her. She looked away again but this time she turned around with her back against the sink. She walked directly to her bed and let her body pulled by the gravity to fall on the soft bed. Usagi closed her eyes again but she did not intend to sleep. She smelled the familiar scent on the white sheet and suddenly tears caressed upon her white cheek. It was the same tears she had on the night before. It was tears of pain and regret.

It was the tenth time Rei passed by the long corridor in the North wing of the palace. It was kind of early to be around the palace but the raven did not care. She had not had a single sleep over the night after her drift off on the cold bench. She was too afraid to go back to her room. It was like playing hide and seeks, trying to get the best place to hide. But she realized even how long she had been going around, she was still ended up in front of the same white mahogany's door.

The echoes of her footsteps stopped as Rei reached the white mahogany's door again for the tenth time. She looked at the door for a while and tried to reach for the knob but hesitated at the end.

"Rei?"

Startled, Rei turned around quickly and found the blue hair woman had slip in only few feet away from the raven. She must have been too busy to notice the Mercurian presence. "Hi, Ami"

"Why are you standing here?"

"Um… I was… on my way to visit Makoto… b-but I think she's still sleeping. What are you doing this early, Ami?"

"I'm on my way to Makoto as well… I thought that I could see how she's doing, just anticipate before awakes"

"Is it that bad?" Rei asked worriedly, feeling guilty for causing Makoto wounded.

"Don't worry, she should be okay. She just had a little too much in her blood system last night, that's why"

The raven felt relieve but something was still bothering her. "I'm sorry if I made you mad last night, Ami… It was because of me…"

It was a surprise for Rei that the genius giggled. There was no mock or anger, only pure laughter.

"Rei, I should be the one to apologize. I was not thinking clearly and I should never act that way since you were wounded as well. Guess we all need an extra lesson about controlling our temper", Ami answered kindly.

"Yeah, I think so", Rei joined the laughing and gave Ami a familiar smug.

"What's with the smug?"

"Well… You never need a class for controlling temper back then. You've changed… Not in a bad way of course, I mean it's good that you can express yourself more"

Ami could only blush from the comment and Rei giggled at the reaction. The genius tried to cover up the redness. "W-well, a lot of things have happened over the past few years… We're all changed I guess"

"I think you're right…" The smile on Rei's face had gone. Now, her thought only filled with the days she reunited with her friends and Rei would never feel the same happiness in anywhere else. Each one of them changed in many ways but their friendship would always be the same. But Rei realized even those changes could harm their friendship and she would not want that to happen. For that friendship, the raven would do anything to keep them intact, even it would mean for her to sacrifice.

"Rei, you alright?" Ami looked concern, noticing the change in Rei's reaction. "Come to think of it, the cut on your temple was quite deep. Usagi should have done some stitches"

She froze upon hearing the Queen's name. Cold sweats started to stream down from her head and her heart was beating relentlessly.

Ami noticed Rei's odd reaction. Before the genius could ask, Rei had spoken again. "I need to find Reiko. I haven't been going with her for a while. Give my regards to Makoto if she awakes"

The words felt odd to Ami. Something was not quite right in her ears and she knew something was different. "Where are you going? You can visit her later, can you?"

"I'll have to see… If it's not too late. Bye, Ami"

"Wait, Rei!"

"Yeah?" Rei answered hesitantly.

"Minako", when Ami mentioned the blond's name, Rei thought that her heart were almost blast out of its place. "She was looking for you"

"O-okay. Thanks"

"And Rei…" Ami continued before Rei prepared to leave. She could not shrug the feeling that the raven might have plan something. "Whatever happened, we are your friends and there is nothing could destroy our friendship. Please remember that"

The expression on Rei's face changed. The hesitance in her eyes had gone. It became poignant yet relieved at the same time. "I will remember that. Thank you, Ami"

The blue hair woman could not hide her curiosity. Her senses knew that something fishy about the way Rei acted. But she did not keep it long since she had bigger problem herself. She continued walking through the corridor, thinking nothing other than how she should react in front of Makoto. Time went so fast that she was already in front of her destination. She watched the brown mahogany's door for a while before opening the door and entered the green-dark brown room. Ami always felt like she was in a rainforest but it was felt more like a home to the Jovian. As she left the door closing quietly behind, she went over the bed and saw the figure she was looking for. The Jovian was laying on the bed, sleeping soundly. Ami thought that she should have wake up by now but she was glad that Makoto was still sleeping since mentally, she was not so ready facing Makoto.

"How long you want to keep this charade?"

Ami's heart stopped beating. The nervousness increased as if she was caught on doing something wrong. She turned to face Makoto who still had her eyes closed. The Mercurian thought she was being quiet but it seemed the brunette got the better of her. "W-what?"

"You can't just ignore me forever, Ami", this time, Makoto opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the genius blue hair woman. Ami's nervousness grew even more. It was the first time after a long week that they stared into each other eyes and Ami clearly saw the usual green eyes which had lost their sparkle. "Look, I made a mistake. I should never do what I did but I know that we want the same thing"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Really? You don't?" It was an innocent reply but Makoto sudden rose from her bed startled Ami and then she stormed towards the smaller woman direction. The genius did not run, only taking small steps at a time as Makoto was moving closer and faster. "You know what I think?"

Ami was out of steps. She had no more ground to cover. She was trapped, pin by Makoto's slender long arms against the wall. Again, she had to be so close to the brunette and her breath somehow bothered her. Ami felt that it made her brain stopped thinking and surge amount of hot air began to surround her face. She absolutely detested them.

The distance between them grew closer as Makoto invaded in, breathing the same air as the other and gave a breathless whisper on Ami's red ear. "I think you know"

Ami shuddered as she heard Makoto's whispers. It irritated her more whenever Makoto always did that. Her voice always sounded huskier and it always made her heart race.

"What do you know?" Ami blurted out as she moved her head aside, far from the pink lips.

"I know you felt the shudder whenever we touched, I know you could hear my heart beat whenever we were close to each other, and I know you always tempted to… to taste my lips"

"NO!" Blue eyes closed, stopping from looking at Makoto's eyes, the eyes of truth. Her hands reached out to her ears, closing them as tight as she could but not for long. She felt the pressure grasp on both of her hands away from her ears and forcing her eyes to open wide.

"I felt the same thing, Ami!" The blue eyes stared again into now determine green eyes. Ami could not look away. "I felt the shudder when I touched you, I heard you heart beat when we are close, and I wanted to kiss you so badly, just like now. I know you know, we all know it for long time-"

"Stop it! Yes, I know", the blue hair woman yelled, startle Makoto. The nervousness had gone and it was Ami's turn to be furious. "Everything you just said is right. I do want you so badly, Makoto. I do! Just stop acting as if you're the only one in pain"

"But why then? Why can't both us be happy?"

"Why? You asked me WHY?" Ami's words were taken aback by Makoto. The brunette turned silence. Her own retorts had turned into double-edge sword. Before she realized, Ami already took the chance to explain. "We can't be together. You know that"

Makoto was surprised. Not because of what Ami just said but the meaning behind her words. She finally understood that her own secret was not hers alone. "How do you know?"

"Doesn't matter how I know about it"

"Then, you know about the Motonian Tribe?"

"Yes, along with the Kunoichi"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Ami did not answer but Makoto did not plan to fall into the same silence. "Ami, listen to me, I never meant to keep it a secret to anyone or to you, trust me"

"Then, can you tell me what's actually going on?"

"I… I can't"

"Then, how can I trust you?"

Her chance was gone. Makoto fell into the pool of silence. She pulled away from Ami as she looked down to the pavement. It was a hint for the Mercurian to leave and she did without any more words to share. Ami was glad that she had been freed from her prisoners and the long tortures but it pained her to leave the slender long arms without comforting them.

"Wait", the Mercurian turned around right away. The simple word cheered Ami a little although she still could feel the tension between them. But Makoto's next words did not let her happiness last. "I'll never betray Usagi's trust. I'll serve her as my leader as long as I live without a doubt. I can only assure you that"

Then, Makoto headed towards the door and left. Ami stood there, speechless and devastated. Who said that nothing could destroy friendship? They just did.

* * *

The time passed by quickly as the morning sun had turn up in the middle of the Moon's sky, shining brightly. The heat was just killing to anyone walks under it and there was no exception even for Rei and Reiko. Nothing could make it worse other than walking up on the sloppy hill with the massive dehydration.

"Rei-chan, where exactly are we going?" The little blond was walking slowly with breathing sluggishly but she was not getting any answer. It was quite a walk and a very quiet one. Sometimes Rei could just want to have a silent hike and the little blond enjoyed it as well. But today, it was different. It was not the same nice and quiet long walk they used to have and Reiko was not planning to walk quietly behind. "Rei-chan…"

No answer.

"Rei-chan…"

Still no answer.

"Rei-chan, Rei-chan, Rei-chan, Rei-chan, R-"

"Okay, okay! What?"

"Where are we going?"

Another silence but Rei was not planning to keep it for long. "I don't know"

"WHAT?" Reiko stopped on her track but the raven kept going aimlessly. "You asked me to walk this far for nothing?"

When Rei reached up on top of the hill, she was just stood there without moving any muscle and again, she was giving Reiko another silence.

Reiko was worried, wondering what could have taken the adult's thought away for almost an hour. She forced her little feet to run, following Rei's trail until her hand could reach Rei's shirt. "Rei-chan, what happened-"

The two pairs amethyst eyes were staring straight at the scene in front of them. The tiredness was lost in the present of the breezy wind blew softly upon the plants and it just felt coolly on their skin. The soft rhythm of the grass movement calmed their heart and they could smell the nature's freshness as the wind blew. They realized that they were standing on top of a hill, looking at a vast field with various colors wild flowers spread all over it. Looking afar, the field ended with a slope down the hill where it overlooked the grass plain and mountains. It was just beautiful and they were completely captivated by the scene. It was hard to take your eyes away from such magnificent beauty.

"Wow", the only comment came from Reiko after few seconds of captivation. "It's beautiful!"

Reiko seemed have forgotten her fatigue and ran to the middle of the field as she began to smell all the flowers around. She then realized that Rei had not move any single step from her spot. "Rei-chan, come here! There are a lot of flowers! Come, come!"

With not much of a response, Rei complied and walked towards the little blond. The only looks she wore were mixed of fascination and confusion. It was because the place intrigued her so much as if she had been there before and she had an important thing in this place but she had no memory of it.

"Have you ever been here, Rei-chan?"

"No… Not that I know of"

Rei tried to remember but nothing came to her mind. It felt like her own memory had been ripped off and left her with the feeling of emptiness. She just wished that all her memories could be erased that easily. It reminded Rei of the night she spent with Usagi. It was far worse than breaking your bones after falling from forty thousand feet. She could never feel more regretful than ever. She was glad that she could escape before Usagi had the chance to tell anyone or she was doom. Rei could only regret for a mistake that would tear her friendship apart. It felt so lonely being separated from the people she loved but it was even more painful to know when you lost them forever. It was not really a choice anyone would make but one always better than the other.

"Chibi…" Reiko heard the call as she turned to see the raven. The smile just melted Rei's weakened heart. It comforted her but it could not heal what has been broken. "You should go home"

"But we just got here…"

"That's not what I mean… Let's bring you back to Nene"

"We're… leaving?" Shock clearly filled in Reiko's words.

"I'm afraid so"

"I haven't said good bye to the others", Reiko said sadly which Rei knew she would be.

Rei approached the blond and bent down to hug the small shoulder. She knew that they should have let them know but she did not have the guts to tell them. She had seen enough disappointment and she did not want more of them. "We shouldn't go back there…"

Reiko was about to complain but stopped when she looked up to see the raven. It was so transparent that the blond was able to read the pain on Rei's face. Reiko changed her mind and hugged Rei again.

"I'm going to miss them," The girl said with hoarse voice. Rei could hear the sob came from the little blond but she chose not to response any longer. Instead, she hugged Reiko tighter, comforting her. "C-can we stay here for a while, Rei-chan?"

"Sure…" They stayed there with Rei was still hugging Reiko.

The day almost ended and it was a cue for them to move on. Rei still found the danger to be in the wilderness in the dark. At least, they had to be around the town and wait by the port to catch any transportation. She should have thought about it before coming here but strangely she was leaded her for some reason. As if deep in her consciousness, she knew this place.

"Chibi, I think we better go"

"Okay…"

When they were about to walk away, suddenly Reiko screamed as she felt something came up from the ground, tickling their feet. Rei stopped as well and looked on the ground to find something interesting. Small flowers with a white bud grew out of the grass and began filling the almost darken field. Under the Earth light, the buds opened up and flapped out their white petals.

"Hey, it's Moon lilies!"

"You like Moon lilies?"

"It's Nene's-" Reiko's cheery voice stopped and then continued in much somber voice. "Nene likes this flower. I used to pick them for her"

"That's… weird. Moon lilies only grew in Moon"

"It is…" The little blond added but did not elaborate.

It was not much of a help from Reiko but Rei came to realize what could have bothered Reiko, "Is that mean… you've been here before?"

Reiko looked as confused as Rei. Her face turned pale all of the sudden. "I… I can't remember"

"Chibi… are you okay?" Without answering, Reiko suddenly lost her balanced and fell. Rei managed to catch her before she reached the ground but the little body was not moving at all. "Chibi? Chibi! Reiko!"

Reiko was unconscious. The only thing Rei could think at that moment was going back to the palace. She still felt the same fear but it was not the same fear she had few minutes before. It was fear of losing Reiko. Quickly, Rei placed Reiko on her back and readied to leave the place when suddenly she stopped. Two pairs of eyes were watching and surprisingly their presence existed without Rei knowledge. Rei turned to see the bushes where she assumed they were at. She could feel they were staring back at her but there were no moves or whatsoever. They were just stayed there, watching.

Rei gave her last look and then flee from the scene. She had her priority but she would not let those spies wandering next time.

* * *

Rei was walking in circle. People were staring at her strangely. Some were the occupants of the infirmary and some were the doctors and nurses. But the raven did not care and kept walking in circle, waiting for the curtain that separating the rest bed to the others to open.

When the curtain slide opened, Rei quickly approached the blue hair doctor in charge. Ami saw the incoming and prepared to answer all questions.

"How is she?"

"She is fine. She is just unconscious although I'm not sure what caused it. As you requested, I've check her brain's wave but there is no sign of brain's defect"

Rei was relief by the news. Usually Ami was never wrong but this time, it was not the answer that Rei was looking for.

"Are you very sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive", as sure as she could be, it bothered Ami for Rei to doubt her result. "What happened, Rei?"

"I don't know myself. Reiko was just trying to remember something and suddenly she was unconscious", Rei explained as her eyes peeked on the rest bed where Reiko lies.

"It was strange indeed. I never heard cases like it before", Ami said while looking at the girl as well. Then, she looked at Rei again and continued. "I'll have her here for the night, see if there is any changes that I can detect"

"I'll stay too", Rei said.

The blue hair woman turned to the raven but her face was not satisfied with Rei's decision as she looked at the raven's face. "Rei, you better rest as well'

"But I'm fine"

"You're NOT fine. You look horrible", Ami said worriedly as it reflected in her blue eyes. "Please take a rest"

Rei seemed have forgotten that she had not had sleep last night for a reason. She tried to avoid the topic but when the weariness began to hit her, she knew Ami was right.

"Okay", Rei nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her"

"Thanks, Ami"

Before leaving, Rei took her last chance to see the little blond and kissed her by the fore head. "Good night, Chibi"

Then, Rei waved at Ami and left the room. She closed the door behind her and heavily signed as she felt the tiredness was just too much. She began to walk towards the East wing. Her body was just moving slowly from the fatigue but her brain was still racing. In that peaceful night, her mind was washed in images from the night before…

_-Flashback: The night before-_

_The bathroom's door was left open, the sink was overflowing with water which still running and the first-aid kit was left scattered on the floor. But the two occupants seemed not care. They were too engulfed in their own affair to take care of another._

_Rei was laying on the soft bed where Usagi on top of her. Their lips still locked on each other and there was no hint that it was going to stop anytime soon. Her wounded right hand was trapped under the queen's tight grip, forbid her from using it or it would pain her the next day from overworked. But Usagi did not mind for Rei's left hand to caressing hard on the blond's tight. She rather enjoyed the touch as she moaned harder in their kiss._

_The kiss broke as Usagi left the _

"_I love your dress"_

"_Why all of the sudden?" Usagi asked, confuse by the sudden statement._

"_Since I love it so much, I just don't have the heart to tear it"_

_Usagi blushed at what Rei was planning to do but then giggled. "Then, I'll gladly to take it off"_

_Suddenly, Rei's left hand moved to encircle around the blond's waist and then grabbed her down to the bed. The raven climbed over Usagi with her left hand back to its position from before._

"_R-Rei?" Usagi was about to complain when suddenly she moaned as Rei began to kiss her neck and caressing her tight again._

"_Shush", Rei silenced the woman softly."Let me have the honor"_

_The kiss continued as it travelled to her jaw and earlobe. When Usagi felt the hot lips on her chest, she shuddered like crazy as if her clothes were vanished and the kiss was placed on her skin directly. Hot and cold was the only thing that she could think. She shivered as she felt her thighs were no longer covered by her dress but what made her more quiver was the burning sensation of the invisible marks from Rei's kiss. _

"_Rei, s-stop", Rei rose up, stop from kissing the young Queen's thigh when she heard Usagi's quiver voice. "I'm scared"_

"_It will be okay"_

"_I've never done it before-"_

_Suddenly, the blond saw Rei coming towards her and captured her lips with her own. Usagi did not hesitated by the move, instead, she gladly received it. As Rei's tongue slowly began devouring hers, she had lost her power to disobey and fell under the spell of the Martian goddess. When she began to loosen up, Usagi felt Rei's hand was crawling down, placed in between her tight. A loud moan escaped from Usagi's lips but soon sealed by another kiss. The fear she felt before were no longer there. The only thing she felt right now was to do anything, everything the Martian wanted as long as she could devour her with the same passionate kiss._

"_Trust me… Mina"_

_Then, they froze. Everything was stopped. Rei's soft whisper came like a tornado and left nothing but misery. Their skin had become cold against each other and the sparkles in their eyes had gone, replace by confusion. Their face did not express the same joyous feeling. In that moment, it was filled with worries instead._

_It was like a sound of a loud bell to Rei. She no longer felt her exhaustion of the ghastly pleasure. It awakened her from almost making the biggest mistake she could ever have done. Seemed lust had taken over her like a drug, a very dangerous one._

_They jumped away from each other when suddenly an unexpected knock came from the door and followed by unexpected visitor._

"_Usagi, are you alright?" They froze as they heard the Venusian-queen-to-be voice behind the door. The pounding continued as it sounded as loud as their heart's pounding. "Usagi, I'm coming in"_

"_W-wait!" Usagi yelled._

_It was too late. The door was swung opened when Usagi had just crawled out of the bed. Minako came with a sword in her hand, looking fiercely at the occupant of the room._

_Usagi was standing not far away from the bed as she saw Minako's fierce looks. She could hear her heart pounding louder and louder. She could not think anything other than guilt._

"_What happened to your dress?"_

"_Huh?" Usagi was confused by the question. There was no hint of anger in Minako's voice or surprised._

"_I heard you were just yelling or screaming just now. Did anyone hurt you?"_

_It confused Usagi more and more. She understood the situation when she turned around and realized Rei was nowhere to be found in her room. Suddenly, she felt a cold wind blowing inside the room and noticed the window was opened. She did not remember opening any but it was never been her who opened that window. Rei had vanished and never showed up again from that window._

* * *

"Damn it!" Rei cursed angrily upon her own reflection in the mirror. She spanked the water's tap which causing her pain on her right hand. It reminded her how she had broken her hand. She cursed herself for forgetting everything.

After moments of pain, the amethyst eyes stared again on her reflection and this time, she understood right away what Ami saw. Her face was now looked worn-out and it showed eye bag underneath her eyes. Somehow the pain made her saw clearly of her feature.

"I look like shit", the raven murmured to herself. She winched as she felt the pain from her hand but she felt too tired to bother by now.

With the water still on, she took a handful of water on her palms and splashed them over her face again and again. It was like she was doing it on purpose, hoping that it could wash away everything but she could not care any longer. Without even drying herself, she exited the bathroom and aiming at one place. There was nothing she could do with her tired body except to sleep. She was just too consumed in the weariness to be able to think any longer.

Her steps were disrupted by the knocks coming from the door. It was a loud knock that would send anyone fears and they would rather to hide behind a bear than to face such violent knock. Her half-closing eyes were opened right away, not by the knock, but by the familiar aura she felt from behind the door. It was the last person she wanted to see right now. Even in the most exhausting point of her mind, her power would never let her rest. But it was not annoyance that she felt. It was more like panic or worries of what she had caused and what was coming to her. She could not afford any more argument in her current state. She just wished to disappear again but it was not going to work for the second time.

"Rei?"

Rei jumped by the calling. Her heart began to beat again in racing mode. Usagi must have told about what happened last night and somehow it scared the raven more than anything.

"Rei! Open the door! I know you in there!"

"I'm coming!" Rei shouted in distress, walking towards the door. She was getting annoyed now although she had become more anxious than ever with the angry bear. Before she exposed herself to the trouble, she took a deep breath and opened the door slowly.

Her tired eyes were enchanted by the blond beauty in front of her. She could tell that the goddess was not happy at all, staring at her with angered blue eyes but Rei could still see the beauty of it.

The raven just stood there mesmerized but it was not for long when she remembered the trouble she was going to face. "Hi… Minako"

**Author's note:**

Okay, this chapter is shorter but I hope is still enjoyable. The only thing I can say that things are starting to heat up. See you in next chapter :)


	10. Chapter 10: Unexpected

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 10: Unexpected**

-**Day 25 Month 2 Year 444: Moon**-

_The Moon's vast grass plain and mountains were looking darker at night. The gentle breeze was felt colder, almost freezing, adding chilliness in the eeriness of the night. Despite that, the Earth was still looked enormous and mesmerizing beneath the Moon's sky and the Moon lilies was still opened up their beautiful petals to greet the darkness._

_Reiko was standing at the flower field again on top of the same hill. It was not the scene she remembered before. The time she went with Rei, it was not dark yet and the Earth was not clearly seen as this one. The little blond felt how familiar the scene was, even though she had no such memory in her mind. It was like she had forgotten something. _

_When soft steps upon the grass was heard behind her, Reiko turned around to find a woman in a white dress with silver hair and made into two spherical buns which was exactly like Usagi's hair. The smile on Reiko's face could go any bigger. _

"_Nene!" The little girl shouted as she ran towards the woman who welcomed her with a warm smile and hugs._

_Nene embraced the young girl with all her might as water began to form at the corner of her eyes. It was a tear of happiness. "My Reiko, I'm happy that you are okay"_

"_I missed you, Nene!"_

_They were hugging for quite some time, enjoying the long-lost moment that they missed. But it was not for long._

"_Reiko-chan, listen to me", the hoarse voice was no longer there. It was replaced by serious tone._

_Reiko noticed the changes and looked up to see Nene's blue eyes. It was still wet from the tears but it was also filled with sadness and fear._

"_What's wrong, Nene?" Reiko asked as she could not help feeling worried and afraid as well._

"_I want you to be careful, you are in danger"_

"_What danger?" _

"_The enemy-" Suddenly, Nene fell down to her knee and murmuring as if she was in pain._

"_Nene! What's wrong?"_

"_I don't have time. Just be careful! And tell Rei-"_

_Before Reiko knew what had happened, Nene had disappeared and so did the Earth, the flower field, the grass plain, and the mountains. Everything was gone, only leaving the darkness._

"NO! NENE!"

"Reiko, calm down"

"A-Ami…" Reiko looked around but found she was not in the dark vast field any longer. She was sitting on the bed in the brightness of daylight. "Where am I?"

"You went unconscious yesterday"

"Did you see Nene?"

"Who?"

"Nene. She was just here, telling me to tell Rei-chan- Wait where is Rei-chan?"

"Calm down, Reiko"

"I need to tell her now! Nene is in danger!"

"Reiko!" Ami 's shout stunned the little blond right away, stopping the erratic acts. But then the genius continued in much soft and calmer voice. "Rei is resting right now; I am guessing she was pretty tired last night. What I want you to do now is to stay calm and tell me what's going on. What did you dream of?"

"D-dream?"

"You've been unconscious for the past 20 hours"

"But it was not a dream! I was just with Nene in that plain where Rei brought me! She told me to be careful"

"Be careful? Of what?"

"She didn't say it. She said something about enemy and she asked me to tell Rei about something but then I was awaked before I could understand any of it"

Ami looked at Reiko, concern with the disturbing dream or it could be a message. "Did you always have this happened before?"

"No… but it was not a dream, Ami. It felt so real, just like we were talking"

"Maybe we should ask Rei… I think she knew this topic more than I-" Suddenly, Ami stopped talking, thinking thoughtfully. Something was odd about Reiko's explanation. "Reiko, before you said that your grandmother told you to tell Rei about this, right?"

"Yeah" Reiko answered frankly, not knowing what Ami's point was.

"But how could she possibly know about Rei? I thought they haven't met yet"

It was clearly shown on Reiko's face that she was confused. "I don't know…"

Ami did not leave her eyes from Reiko, observing her little patient. She could conclude that it could be Reiko's own mind that created the hallucination but somehow, Ami was a little skeptical about that conclusion. She looked at the paper that she had on her clipboard where graph of lines showed in the pages and pages of papers. They were the result of Reiko's brain wave that she received just now but none of them explained what happened. It was almost the same result she got from over the night monitoring but 'almost'. It surprised the Mercurian when suddenly she detected an anomaly which was causing uproar for quite some time before it disappeared right after Reiko awakes. Ami reckoned that the only person who could help her to explain what exactly happened was Reiko herself.

"Reiko, I want you to recall the last thing you remember before you lost your consciousness?"

It took Reiko a while to think before she came up to Ami with sequence of events, "I was in this beautiful plain and I think I've been there before but I couldn't remember. Right after I cried and we were about to go, we saw Moon Lilies but then things turned dark and I just couldn't remember after"

"Why were you crying? And what were you two doing in that place?"

Reiko did not answer the genius. She was looked rather uncomfortable with the question. But before Ami managed to interrogate more, the little blond was safe by a loud creak of the infirmary's doors.

"Princess Hermione! Princess Hermione!"

Both of them were surprised by the abrupt interruption. A soldier was running down the infirmary hall and stopped right at Reiko's bed. He bowed respectfully towards Ami as he tried to control his breath.

"Please be quiet, this is an infirmary", Ami said in low stern voice.

"My apology, Princess", the soldier replied in the same low voice as Ami, still out of breath.

"Hermione?" Reiko slipped in between the conversation, looking at the Mercurian with funny look.

"T-that's my Royal name", Ami explained, ignoring her blushing cheeks and then moved on her attention to the soldier again with curious Reiko hid behind her. "What is it?"

This time, the soldier had finally regained his breath and without hesitation, he spoke in loud and clear voice. "The Venusian soldiers just made a force entry! They said it was an urgent matter and now they are looking to Princess Venus' room"

"W-what?"

* * *

Rei had never grunt as she greeted the sun when she felt the sun warmth, hearing the birdsong and looking at the ceiling of her reddish room. Today was just different to her. Her eye's lids felt heavy as ever and she felt her powerless body was feeling chilled a little. It was a very unusual morning to her but later on, she realized it was not morning anymore.

Both amethyst eyes opened a little, trying to adjust itself to the sunlight. When she just realized a pair of eyes was looking at her, Rei just smiled and turned to her side. She discovered an angel were laying by her side, tangled in the red bed sheet as her hands were hugging the fluffy pillow and had her chin rested on it as well. The smiles continued soaring on Rei's face since Minako was not wearing anything, naked under the tangled bed sheet. She came to realize the soreness she had all over her body which reminded her the night she just had. With that, Rei would be content enough to smile happily all day long.

"How long you've been watching me?" Rei asked the blond in front of her without forgetting her smile.

"Few hours", Minako replied, returning the smile. It was the same smile that Rei's wear; happy and sincere.

"Are you stalking me or something?" The raven said jokingly as she received giggles from Minako.

"It is way pass noon, almost sunset already. You're just getting ready for dinner, you know"

"That late?" Rei said while stretching her arms when suddenly she noticed her body was a little sore and her right hand was somehow felt more painful than the day before. But she was not going to complain at all, instead, the raven was just smiling to herself as if she was just came out of a battle and won.

"I think you were pretty tired last night"

"Who fault is that?"

"Me?" Minako said innocently but her smile was never innocent.

The lovely mischievous smile just tempted Rei so much and she just wanted to taste those devious lips right away. The raven slipped her hand on Minako's cheek and dragged both faces closer. Minako's smile never stopped as she willingly followed Rei's hand. When their lips captured one and another, Rei thought it was pleasing as it looks but even better. Once you taste one, you just could not stop wanting for more.

It disappointed Rei when the kiss broke but when she looked at beautiful goddess above her, everything seemed worth it. She could look into those blue eyes for eternity and she would love to have that chance once again.

"I missed you…" Rei whispered softly but it was audible enough for Minako to hear them. The smile on Minako's face could never fade and it just melted Rei's heart right away. She had not felt so comforted yet excited at the same time for a long time. Seven years was never been easy but she never had guessed that fate would bring them together again despite what happened. "I'm sorry for leaving you…"

"Rei… It's worth it… Worth it enough to know that no matter what happened, at the end of the line, we still found each other…"

There was just something different about the new Minako compared to the same girl she knew from few years ago but regardless, Rei still felt the same heart racing whenever she was with the blond. Her heart was racing and her mind just filled with the Venusian goddess. Even after the long separation, her heart was always belonged to one and only.

"Do you love me?" Rei asked.

They stared at each other momentarily and the blond had never forgotten the same eyes that looked at her seven years ago. It was the same loving amethyst eyes that she was staring right now. Minako could have never been so sure and only one word of oath that she needed to say.

"Always"

The pledges were exchanged but Rei had known the answer before Minako told her the answer. After all night of expressing their undying love, verbally or non-verbally, the raven had no doubt that everything was real and only smirk on her lips was there expressing her happiness.

Minako came down to capture Rei's lips once again and this time, she wanted nothing but more of Rei for the hundredth times. The only think that filled Rei's mind was the pleasure of devouring each other tongue as their skin burned on each other touches.

Suddenly, a beeping sound stopped them immediately, starling them in the process. They looked around, confuse by the strange sound until Minako realized what it was.

"My watch!"

"Your what?" Rei asked as Minako rose up and began looking for her communication watch.

"It's a communication device that Ami invented so we can communicate in the distance"

The raven was not listening to Minako's explanation. She never wanted to. "It can wait"

Rei sat up and grabbed Minako by the waist. She pulled the blond towards her and continued from where they left off. Minako was distracted for a while but then managed to control the temptation.

"No, Rei. It could be important"

Minako was trying to get out of Rei's embrace but it seemed the raven was not planning to stop at all. It was difficult for the blond to reach out while half of her mind was enjoying the kisses on her neck. The beeping sound was growing further and further from her ears but it was the last thing that reminded Minako of her sanity as she was looking for it.

"You're looking for this?"

In the middle of losing her sanity, Minako saw her watch still beeping in Rei's hand and tried to grab it back. "Rei, give me that!"

"Not a chance", Rei threw her watch away and taking her invasion further. She pushed Minako down to the bed and softly bit her nipples.

The Venusian goddess was moaning and shuddering at the same time. Minako was at her limit. She could not do it anymore. The blond just gave up and continued moaning in pure bliss.

"_Ami! Did someone hurt Minako?" _Rei and Minako jumped when an innocent and childish voice startled them. They looked around but did not see anyone around the room but they recognized to whom the voice belong. _"Why your face so red, Ami?"_

"R-Reiko? She awakes?" Minako said nervously as she and Rei kept looking around confusedly.

"Where the voice came from?" Rei asked in the mix of confusion and fury.

"_Rei-chan? It's Rei-chan! Reiiiiiii-channnnn, are you okay?"_

Minako covered herself angrily with the bed sheet before she rose from the bed. She bent down by the bedside to pick up the item that Rei threw earlier. The blond showed her watch to Rei and the raven realized where the voice came from.

"Damn it!" Rei cursed. The watch's button must have been hit when the raven threw it to the floor.

"_Rei! Don't curse in front of a child"_, Ami finally said something although they could hear the embarrassment in her voice.

"I think she already heard something even 'worse', Ami", the raven replied teasingly. Rei could imagine how the genius having a hard time to retort back with her face boiled in embarrassment and the raven just giggled uncontrollably.

"We're sorry, Ami", Minako was talking apologetically at the small device which Rei finding it strange talking to a watch instead an actual person. "Reiko, she's fine right?"

"_Yes, she is perfectly healthy, so don't worry about it-"_, Ami explained but shorten when Reiko joined the conversation again.

It was an innocent question.

"_Are you okay, Minako? Was Rei-chan doing something bad to you?"_

Minako sinked her face in the pillow, trying as hard as she could to not laughing while Rei just burst into laugh and left Ami uncomfortable at the other side.

"_L-let's not talking about this! I really DETEST interrupting your private moment together but we have a situation right now"_, Ami spoke with a little stern in her nervous voice.

Still trying to hold her laughter, Minako managed to nudge Rei, stopping her from laughing further although the raven was still laughing at the back. "What is it, Ami?"

"_I need you to come by the meeting hall, Minako… We have visitors"_, the laughter vanished as Rei and Minako heard the unpleasantness in Ami's voice.

"Who?" Minako asked. The air on her face changed when she heard Ami's next words.

"_Some Venusian soldiers just entered into the palace"_

"What? I didn't know anything about this"

"_None of us knew. Apparently, they are looking for you and they've headed to your room but couldn't find you. That's why I decided to call you… and another thing, you will not like who they are with"_

Minako forgot for a while but then her face changed as if she had recalled something horrible. "Elliros"

"_Yes… I think you better face him, Minako…"_

Rei saw the nervousness on Minako's face. She did not know who was this man is but he seemed someone important from Venus and the blond certainly was uncomfortable by his presence.

"Where is Usagi?" Minako asked but she did not notice Rei's nervous reaction.

"_She is in her room… She said she is not feeling well"_

"Good. I don't want her to meet this people and I might need you and Makoto for back-up. Where are you right now?"

"_I'm at the infirmary at the moment"_

"Just don't go anywhere, stay with Reiko until Rei come to replace you", Minako heard disappointment from Rei and Reiko but pretended she did not hear them. "Rei will be there any minute and I'll see you in the hall"

"_Okay. Ami-out"_

Minako had pressed the button on her watch, ending the conversation.

"Great, now I've to babysit?"

"I'm sorry, Rei but I don't thing bringing you would be such a good idea", Minako said hurriedly as she began dressing up.

Rei still did not like the idea but she had other curiosity in mind. "Who's Elliros?"

"He… is the Chief Commander of Venusian Army" The blond answered instantly with dishearten tone.

Rei noticed the indifference and she could not help left wondering. "What's he doing here?"

"That… is what I'm going to find out", the blond finished her dressing up and turned to face Rei. She went to the raven and gave one short yet passionate kiss before she broke apart. "I'll be back for more"

The curiosity was gone as Rei was captivated by the Minako's beautiful smile. "I'll be gladly waiting for it"

Rei's eyes trailed the blond as she was retreating from the bed. Right before Minako left the room; she turned around and stared at the raven with serious face. "Rei, I want you to do something from me"

"Yes, I'm babysitting", Rei answered halfheartedly.

"Yes, you will and please, stay out of trouble and don't bring Reiko anywhere dangerous"

"Hmm… I think you've become attach to her too much, Mina"

"Why? Jealous?"

"Certainly not. I find your motherliness very adorable"

"M-motherliness?"

"Yeah…" Rei gave a warm smile which returned by the blond with a little blush. "I'm glad that you're being very protective"

It was a little awkward when Rei found no further response from Minako. The blond was still standing by the door, look distracted. "Minako?"

"Y-yeah?" Minako said with hoarse voice as if she was just crying but Rei saw the watery eyes and she began to worry.

"Minako, you're crying. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. There's just something in my eyes… Just promise me, okay?" The blond said while quickly wiped the water in her eyes. "Now, I need to go now. I'll see you later"

Without further ado, Minako closed the door behind her. As the steps' sound disappeared, Rei laid back on the bed again.

"Ouch!" Rei felt she was slept on something rather sharp. She sat up again and looked for the unknown which turned out to be Minako's watch. She grumbled a little and put it aside, planning to return it to the blond later.

She fall back to the bed again and this time, there was no more treasure on the way. Somehow she felt tired again because of the short ruckus and not even a minute passed, she had already missed Minako. But the ecstasy started to fade away as her consciousness pulled her back to reality. It was not because Minako's crying that bothered her, although she must admit that she was a little worry about it, but it was not her biggest concern. The guilt had started to crawl over the eight hours of joyous feeling and only one name that placed her in such difficult place. Usagi.

"Damn it…" Rei cursed herself.

_-Flashback: The night before-_

_Rei was facing the furious-looking-Minako and she positioned herself guarding her door in the case she needs to escape, she could have done it in time. But she had decided to share a few words before she could flee from the Venusian princess._

"_Okay, I know why you came-"_

"_Oh hell yeah, you know it for sure! What the heck were you thinking?" Minako interrupted impatiently with clear satire. _

_Despite the interruption, Rei knew she had to continue. Otherwise, she could not face anyone after what she had done to Usagi. "I know that I was making a huge mistake-"_

"_Yes! Huge mistake!"_

"_But I can explain what happened"_

"_Really? Then, how could you explain your IRRESPONSIBILITY after what happened to Reiko?"_

"_It was- wait, did you say Reiko?"_

"_YES! What do you think I was talking about then?"_

"_Um… no, well, yes, I mean nothing really happened. She just fall unconscious, that's it"_

"_I know, I heard that from Ami but it was so irresponsible bringing her outside knowing what danger she could face?"_

"_I'm sorry…" Rei apologized. She had nothing more to say since it was her fault to begin with. The blond just reminded her of her own selfishness. If it was not because of her cowardly act, she would not have gotten Reiko into this. _

_Minako's anger was subsided as she realized Rei was not fighting back any longer. The blond was expecting a huge word-fight but it seemed Rei had given up first. It was just unusual._

_Signed with disappointment, Minako begun to talk again but this time was more softly. "Look, I know that you feel she is your responsibility but can you trust us? At least, I can help you… To me, Reiko is like a family to me and I could not help but to think her safety as well"_

_Rei looked at Minako in amazement but somehow it also made her feeling weird. It was like her heart was in pain. In some way, the affection that Minako shared with Reiko was bothering her._

"_You don't know her well so her safety is not your concern", Rei responded coldly although she did not mean it. _

_The blond went berserk hearing the rude answer and returned to the same angry tone from before. "Who are you to decide? You are not her parent and it was not your job to begin with to be one"_

"_I never asked to be her parent but I chose to take care of her until I found her family"_

"_She is not a puppy that you can decide to have by yourself! She is a child for Heaven sake! She can choose to whom she wanted to be friend with and I happen to cherish her friendship"_

"_Then how about our friendship? You want me to stay but you don't even want to see me?"_

_Rei stopped, realizing what she was just said. She looked at the blond who was clearly surprised. The raven cursed for her big-stubborn-mouth. But it was too late to regret. Minako had guessed where the point of this conversation was._

"_Rei… Are you jealous?"_

"_What? Of course not! Why should I?"_

_There was just silence between the two of them and awkwardness filled in the atmosphere. There were so many things to talk but._

"_Maybe I should go"_

_Minako turned around and about to leave when suddenly Rei grabbed her by the wrist, stopping the blond from leaving. There was not any struggle from Minako but Rei found herself lost of words as well. The silence was killing them and Rei decided to do something about it._

"_Why don't you come in?" Rei slapped herself inside. She felt so stupid for saying it. It felt like asking the impossible in the wrong time. She could have said something like 'sorry' or something else. _

"_Okay"_

_To Rei surprised, the blond did not reject her invitation. She was stunned for a while until few minutes later she noticed that she was having a guest. "C-come in, have a seat"_

_It was a weird gathering since they both were giving silent treatment to each other. Rei herself was asking out of nowhere and now, she was stuck by her own words. It was uncomfortable but the raven managed to distract herself._

_Long time ago, she was used to be in one room with the beautiful blond without being distracted at all. Now, she could not help her eyes to stare at the Venusian goddess. Just by staring at sweet pink lips had made the urgency for Rei to taste them right away. Her brain stopped as she remembered what happened between her and Usagi._

_It was beyond anyone could imagine but it was true that no one could find any differences between Minako and Usagi. It was a flawless replica of each other and it scared her. The eyes, face, lips, hair and everything were the same. She could not tell the different and she could not tell who this desire inside her yearned for._

"_I want to tell you something"_

"_G-go ahead"_

"_I warn you, don't get to close to Usagi"_

"_Why?"_

"_She is not the same Usagi that you can tease and play with. She is the Queen of Moon and the leader of Moon Alliance. You better watch your manner"_

"_Is it just me or that it sounds like you just hate me. I know she is a Queen and I respect that but she is still my friend just like her to you. It's just not make any sense why I'm the only one that have to stay away from her"_

"_She is a Queen and it's my duty to see any treats-"_

"_Treats? You're saying I AM a treat? You got to be kidding me! You're just being paranoid"_

"_P-paranoid?" Minako stood from her seat. She was beyond furious by the accusation. " You-"_

"_Yes, you are paranoid!" Rei followed the blond to match their heights. They looked into each other eyes with anger and the shouts continued._

"_I'm not!"_

"_You are! And you won't stop until you make my life miserable!"_

"_You- Fine! You really want to know why I became this PARANOID ? Really?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_It's because Usagi likes you!"_

_Rei quitted her shouting part and was too stunned instead. She felt all the hair on her body rose, giving her a chill. It came back to the main problem. She thought she had prepared herself earlier to encounter Minako's wrath about what happened between her and Usagi but now, she was scared, so scared that her words lost in her throat._

"_You never have thought that she would love you, right? So I just wanted you to know so you could make sure that you know how to act properly. I don't want her to get her hopes up", Minako said in much more calmer voice. Rei just wished that she could tell Minako that it was too late. The damage had been done. But the silence got the better of her, letting the blond to continue expressing herself. "You might think that I'm crazy for saying this but I can see in her eyes when she looked at you and how she acted when you came back from the death. I don't know if you are really come back from the death or not but left by someone you loved was painful enough. It hurts… and I don't want anyone to go through the same thing that happened to me"_

_Rei looked at Minako and she always knew instantly the pain in her eyes whenever she remembered those dark times. But the raven also knew that it had scarred the blond forever. Those used to be dreamy blue eyes had no longer shone like before as if it had been taken away from her. There was no confident or the lighthearted blond that exist back in the day where everything was at peace. Rei could not help but captivated by the Minako's eyes as she saw clearly the sadness and insecurity inside them. It was not much a different from what Rei had. It was all about the agony of living through their past, their sin and their lost love._

_Rei began walking to the blond, derive by the akin attraction. Her mind was screaming of what she was doing but her body was moving by itself. All she knew was that they wanted the same thing, wishing both of their pain to go away. Rei just wanted to wipe hers and Minako's misery and regained back what has been lost._

_Their distance shortened but Minako did not make any single move as she kept eyes on the raven hair goddess. Just like Rei, the blond just could not take away her eyes from the amethyst eyes. It was captivating as always. The next thing they knew, they could not deny it any longer and Rei had captured Minako's lips._

_Time was frozen in that very moment. Their eyes closed as the kiss was still. They were enjoying every moment of the stillness and only to feel their warm breath in each other mouth. It was just a simple touch by the lips but they felt do much excitement and comfort. Slowly, their body began caressing each other and their heart was beating harder every time they stirred closer. It was like they were brought back to years ago as if there was never been a time they have lost. It all could be a mind trick but a heart could never lie. They knew what they want was each other._

_The kiss ended. When the amethyst eyes opened again, then Rei saw it, the sparks in those blue eyes. It was the same blue eyes that Rei remembered. It was never gone. It was the Minako who she always loved._

"_Dreamy blue eyes…"_

"_What?"_

"_Nothing", Rei said as she smiled at the blond. _

_Minako was curious and showed her lovely smile for the first time. "What is it?"_

_Rei placed her lips closed to the blond's ear and then whispered. "I'll make it up to you. I promise"_

"_How can I know for sure?" There was no denial in her voice but Rei knew Minako was hesitating._

"_Because it's only me who can make your pain go away and I'm going to show it to you", Rei was done with her speeches and reached again for Minako's lips but this time, it was more._

_It was a short night to spend but felt like eternity. The usual quiet night had turned differently. Moans were exchanged though out the night and it was not moan of weariness or happiness, it was both._

_They were overwhelmed by the sensation of their skins against another, their hands against another's naked body and their tongue against each other. The heat was like the burning Sun but it was just perfect. The moment was right, the heat, the passion and the pleasure. The weariness grew and their body was getting strained as if there is a heap of energy formed. It was a familiar momentum just like the last night they were together seven years ago. But to them, it felt more blissful moment that they could not resist. They were just too devoured in their own lust to notice. Hours had been spent but both could not get enough, not until when the energy burst out. What left of them was a tired body and mind as they fell into deep slumber feeling fulfilled in each other arms. Rei just knew that Minako could never deny the very truth of Rei's words. Only Rei could make the blond feel this good._

* * *

Minako marched along the long corridor and her steps were the only sound echoed in it. A lot of things were in her mind, partially because of the unexpected visit from someone but mostly it was all about a certain raven hair woman. It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life but it just had to be ruined out of any other days.

The door of the meeting hall burst open and there Minako stared at her guests in the room as the five people stared back at her. But the blond's stare was actually directed to only person in that room. He was wearing a white armor with gold crest on his chest. His blond hair, just like Minako, was short and wavy and his eyes were definitely blue like a true Venusian. He smiled as he saw the Princess and then began to approach her with open arms.

"Ah, Minako-"

Before Ellios managed to get a grip on the Princess, Minako had pushed him back and looked at him angrily.

"Watch your manner! I'm still your Princess!"

"Not for long, Princess", the man relied softly but it was full of certainty.

"I've told father that my business in here has not finished yet-"

Without waiting for Minako to finish, Ellios cut in.

"I'm bringing you home immediately by your father's order, Princess"

Minako felt her heart stopped when she heard the man's word. "W-what?"

"Your father said it has to be done. Our people has started to lose their faith in the royal family and the only way to regain their trust is to crown you as the new queen"

"That's absurd! Father should have told me this before you came here!"

"If he told you, you would not agree with him in the first place"

"But still-"

"The Venusian people need a queen to rule them, Princess. This is your destiny and it is my destiny to fulfill my duty with you as your husband"

"Don't you dare to say that our engagement is because of destiny! I refuse to get married!"

"Princess, our marriage is going to be in a week. How could you say that we are not destined together?"

"A-a week?" The blond said in disbelieved.

"Yes, invitations have been sent out through the galaxy and everything has been prepared. We have booked the best tailor in Venus to make your wedding dress"

Minako lost her words. She looked shock and disappointed at the same time, knowing her life was a dead end. "How could father decide this without me?"

"You can ask him when you are in Venus"

"Silence!" Minako said angrily.

"Now, now, after the holy priest bless our union, you will not regret, Princess", Elliros smiled slyly as he slipped his hands around Minako's waist.

Minako pushed the man away and slapped him hard on the cheek. She gave the man her killer stares and shouted furiously. "Stay AWAY from me!"

The blond ran, heading to the door with her hands trembled uncontrollably but Elliros was faster than her and caught her by the wrist. "I SAID STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

"Calm down, Princess"

"Let me GO! Or I'll scream!"

"Before you scream, we've got ourselves an urgent situation here"

"That you're trying to kidnap me?" Minako replied cynically.

Elliros's face was no longer smiling. He tightened his grip as he looked at the blond woman seriously. "No, Princess Amadore. It's about the enemy…"

* * *

Rei stood by the familiar white door. She was in the same exact place as two night ago before she made her own doom. After along sign, she knocked on the door and was answered by a familiar voice.

"No dinner, please"

"It's not like you to refuse food. You've always love to eat, Usagi"

It was quiet for a moment and then Rei heard footsteps coming towards the door. But the door never opened.

Rei felt guilty for making Usagi like this but she just needed to take care of it once and for all.

"Usagi… " Rei stopped for a moment. "I-I'm sorry for using you… I can't ask you to forgive me but I just want you to forgive yourself and stop torturing yourself… You're like a sister to me and my best friend. It hurts me to see you like this"

No replies. It was so quiet that Rei was not even sure if Usagi was even there. She did not expect to be heard but she was hoping that Usagi would be there to hear.

"I love you Usagi. I really do but I can't love you the same way I love Minako… I hope you can understand"

Her job was done. She saw no point for her to be there and she did not think Usagi wanted her presence there. When she had turned her back, she heard the blond finally spoken. "Rei, I'm not going to tell Minako… but promise me something…"

Rei turned around again, surprised. She approached back to the door again and answered. "Anything…"

"Don't ever leave me again…"

She could not be more surprised. It was not the kind of deal that Rei expected but she was more than happy to comply. The kind Queen had offered her something even precious than gold. It was forgiveness.

The raven leaned her head on the white door and closed her eyes. She could feel Usagi's presence right behind the door and Rei knew Usagi could feel her presence as well. Rei could not thank Usagi enough for the forgiveness she gave to her. Without any doubt, the raven would ready to fulfill her vow from years ago, to protect Usagi as her loyal friend and guard, and she whispered, "I promise…"

Once she said it, it was her cue to leave, letting both of them to comprehend their new bond, as a friend and a comrade, nothing more and nothing less.

Her worries disappeared a little but it was never fully eased her. The thought of hiding something behind Minako's back was bad and adding another dirty secret was making it worse. But it was her very first intention to come to see Usagi, asking for concealing whatever happened between them. But Usagi was still Usagi, she always knew what others think and she understood somehow. Rei could not thank enough for her selflessness although the dishonesty was just killing her but she did not want to lose Minako. The truth would destroy their fragile relationship and Rei would make sure it would not happen at any cost.

Suddenly, Rei stopped on her track when she saw a soldier slumped down on the corner of stair to the garden. She quickly moved over to the soldier but when she realized the blood on his clothes, Rei felt her heart stopped beating for a moment. Her thought was too occupied to realize the threat coming close. She turned around when suddenly a set of seven knifes were heading towards the raven. She barely evaded the killer weapons and before she managed to steady herself, a fast kick had already thrown her to the ground. She felt the pain on her abdomen but not for long. Before she was able to rose, a flash of light blinded her and reminded her of the last attack by the Kunoichi. Rei lifted her palm to attack with her fire shot but it was too late. She screamed as she heard the loud explosion and a burst of flames was burning on her chest. The attack sent Rei away, flying in slow motion. The seconds of pain, shock and anger felt like eternity as her eyes staring at nothingness except the clear blue sky above. When she landed and rolled on the ground, everything went so fast and confusing. The clear blue sky disappeared, replace by blurry image of greenery and she could smell the scent of the grass. She could hear nothing except the echo of her heart. Her entire body was in pain but she was unable to reach out to her wound, even the tip of her finger was paralyzed. She wanted to scream but her voice would not go out, her mouth was just closed as tight as it could. Rei was frustrated.

Steps were coming towards and Rei could hear it out loud like it was echoing in her ears. Then, two figures appeared, obviously the Kunoichi, wearing their black uniform. They stood close to Rei's unconscious body and stared at the raven. They were talking but she could not understand them at all because of the echo. The explosion must have impaired her hearing. When she felt another kick on her abdomen, she was screaming inside but her body did not react like what her mind wanted her to. The kick continued and the pain grew until she heard a crack on her lower chest. It was painful as hell and the best thing Rei managed to do was murmured ghastly in pain. Her eyes began to closing when she was about to losing it. But she kept holding on her consciousness and enduring the torture. Rei was just not ready to die yet…

Suddenly, she was enveloped by darkness and the echoes had disappeared. The kicking stopped and she could no longer feel the pain. She was be able to move her body again but she did not even know where the ground to stand in such darkness. All of the sudden, lights appeared out of nowhere, Rei was surprised when she recognized the different place and familiar to her. It was the same pool of stones and Rei could hear echoes from them.

"No! Go away from me!" Rei closed her eyes and swung her arms around while closing her ears with both hands as if she was trying to chase away something. It was useless. The echoes were the shouts of her mind. They were the memories, feelings and dreams of Arestha XIII Rei Mars from the past, present and future.

_-Vision-_

_Everything about her was smelled of blood. It disgusted her. _

_In the heat of the fire, every inch of her skin was sweating but it was no longer a colorless liquid running down upon her skin. It was bloody red._

_It might have been her blood but most probably, it was not hers. However, Rei did not care. Her amethyst eyes were looking detached and cold, only the flaming ruin of Aino city were reflected on the blankness of her irises. Her feet were moving by their own aimlessly, dragging them on the unruly ground full of debris and lifeless human bodies. _

_Her mindless head awakened when she heard crumbling stones among the flame crackling and restless screaming. Rei turned around with her flaming bow and arrow on hand, ready to attack whatever threat coming. But the fire arrow never left her hand and the blankness was no longer seen in her eyes as she stared at the person in front of her, a woman with dark skin and long dark green hair. Rei could never forget those dark and gloomy maroon eyes. Their eyes never left each other and the raven would not dare to flick even for a second. There was something about the mysterious woman that caused her to be afraid of. It was like the woman was staring into her soul, reading her like an open book. It was her knowing eyes that seemingly harmless but deadly at the same time. The raven knew right away that this woman was not an ordinary person and she knew what Rei has done._

_Rei felt herself sweating even more and her grip on her arrow became unsteady, trembling from the fear. What had scared her was not the harmless woman in front of her but it was the truth in the maroon eyes that shake her. "Stop staring at me!"_

"_There is nothing to be afraid, Princess", the voice was flat, emotionless but it gave Rei a chill right away._

"_Get away from me or I'll shoot you!" The raven took a step back and gripping hard on her arrow._

"_Shoot me if you must but you cannot escape from death"_

"_Y-you… Are you sent to k-kill me?" Rei was choked a little, afraid of something she should not be afraid of._

"_Or you prefer living, Princess?"_

_It was getting confusing and Rei began to hesitate. It was like she was making Rei options and what she needed to do was to choose. Usually, the raven would have shot her arrows and angered by anyone who dare to make a choice for her. However, the bow and arrow was still intact in their stance. Rei realized in her situation, she did not have any other option and what menacing her most was the death aura around this woman. It was intimidating but her eyes were telling Rei differently. "W-who are you?"_

_-Change Vision-_

_It was dark and still. No wind or movements heard, only a horse breath which is her own breath. Rei's eyes began to open slowly. It was blurry and she quickly shut them close again as she felt the light hurting her eyes. She felt the numbness from her body. She couldn't move a single flesh of her body. Her brain felt like it had been squashed into pieces. _

_One breath…_

_Two breath…_

_Three breath._

_She rolled her back up while her face landed on strangely wet ground. The smell of the ground awoke her from half-conscious mind. It was the smell of blood. She opened her eyes again to stare on the unruffled ground covered in blood. _

_Rei looked up to see where the blood coming from… _

"_M-Minako!"_

_-Vision ends-_

The teary amethyst eyes opened and stunned momentarily along with the rest of her body. Rei could never be paler than ever. The moment she rewinds back to the visions of the past, present and future, she could feel her body was trembling in fear. This was one thing that she could never control her power of seeing the unseen. She began to worry especially on the last part, when she saw Minako slumped on the pool of blood. Rei had been living in fear for her haunting past but the thought of losing the blond was just impossible to survive. Rei just did not want to believe, deny it, wishing that it was all lies.

In the same blackness, Rei was sprawled on the dark floor and this time, it was no longer the sea of stones. It was all pitch black. When she turned her head to her right side, she was surprised to see just few inches away from her face, there lied a slender naked woman with familiar face and raven hair, looking at her with the same golden-yellow eyes.

All Rei did was looking back at it. She was looking at the exact copy of herself but it was not her. It was what she called as her alter-ego, the powerful Rei or Rei the Princess of Mars. She was the holder of Rei's power, the one who controlled her vision and her attack. After seven years of meditating and exiling, the raven managed to bury this alter-ego deep in her unconsciousness and when she needed her power time to time, she used them carefully and with limitation. Although she managed to control it, deep inside, she and her alter-ego knew that she could not bury it much longer. It was too strong for Rei to handle and the raven had long fearing it.

"_Arestha…"_ The soft yet frightening whisper just gave Rei a sudden chill. Her alter-ego was just talking to her. Rei recognized the voice but it was not her alter-ego. It was someone else.

Rei sat up and looking hysterically at her twin form. "W-who are you?"

Her alter-ego sat up as well, following Rei. _"I am you"_

"No, you're not! Y-you…" She remembered the voice. It was the same voice she heard seven years ago. It was the same voice that caused her to suffer all these years.

"_Come with me, Princess"_

"NO! You're not controlling me! NO! NO! NO!"

Her amethyst eyes closed again in the face of the terrifying gold eyes but even in the darkness, she still felt the eyes never left a sight of her. She wished those eyes to go away but she knew that they had her already. They were inside her heart, possessing her.

* * *

"Ami! Where are you?"

Minako was walking with face pace while talking to her watch. She was looking rather bewildered.

"_I'm still at the infirmary. Rei hasn't come yet", _the blue hair Mercurian answered calmly opposing the agitated blond.

The blond cursing subtly, prevent Reiko from hearing her. "And Makoto?"

"_Sorry, she didn't pick-up my call"_

"Where is everybody?" Minako shouted angrily. She tried calm herself and thinking what to do. It was hard for her to act rationally after her meeting with Elliros.

Minako's irrepressible behavior did not escaped from Ami's observation. _"Are you okay, Minako?"_

Her head was just spinning, confuse with all the drama. It caused immense rupture inside her. Minako had lost herself once and she could not afford to lose it twice. "I'm sorry, Ami… I was just… lost it for a moment"

"_What happened? What did he said?" _

Minako's chest felt heavy as if great burdens were placed upon it. She wanted to let out everything inside her chest without wasting any more minutes with it. But there were no words that could describe how she felt, what she wanted and why she faced it.

"I-I don't know what to do Ami… I really don't know…"

Suddenly, Minako stopped walking when she noticed a burning smell. She looked around to find anything unusual and it seemed she was not far from the source. Then the conversation she had with Elliros refreshed back in her mind. The enemy could be closer than she thought.

"Ami, something is wrong… I'm going to call you later. Minako-out"

Minako ran as fast as she could, wishing that she was wrong, hoping that it was all just her own distraction from Elliros' non-sense. She just wanted his words were all lies. When she reached the source of unpleasant odor, her wish was only a wish. What she saw with her own eyes was far worse. Her eyes stared at the scene in horror.

"Ma-Makoto?" There she saw Makoto was bending by one of the Kunoichi. There were total of three Kunoichi that she noticed sprawled all over the ground along with much more Lunarian soldiers as well. But what frightening her most was when she noticed they were all covered in blood.

**Author's note:**

Sorry for the 'always' late update. It's getting harder to this point and I got so many ideas to write down but they all got mixed up and I ended up confuse myself _ Anyway, I tried and voila! Hope you enjoy it!

Another thing about Ami's title name, Hermione, is sort of her Royal/official names. Ami is her given name and only used by close friends and family. Here is the list for their full names that I start with Royal name-Given name-Planet/Family name:

Hermione Ami Mercury

Hermione is the feminine form of Hermes. It is tradition in Mercury that all Royal born were given their Royal names in their tribute for their Mercurian God, Hermes. Just like; Queen Hermia Anya Mercury (Ami's mother) and Queen Hermes Athi Mercury (Ami's great-great-grandmother/first queen of Mercury).

Zenas X Makoto Jupiter

Some Kingdoms gave their heir same royal name with generational suffixes (example Makoto, Usagi and Rei's names) and only their given names are different. Their official names will be Queen Zenas (Zenas IX Miwako Jupiter, Makoto's mother) and Princess Zenas (Makoto). (Hmm… Sound like Xena XD)

Serenity XV Usagi Moon

After the disappearance of the late Queen Serenity the Fourteenth, Usagi was throne as the next Queen Serenity. She was supposed to be throne when she reaches the age of 20, however, she has no father/assigned guardian which forced her to become a Queen at the age of 18.

Amadore Minako Venus

Minako's Royal name is the first name in Venusian Kingdom history that did not follow the generational pattern. Her late mother Aphrodite XIII Annako Venus decided to give the name 'Amadore' to Minako. By Venusian Law, Minako supposed to be throne as a Queen at the age of 20 but she refused and she kept trying to prolong it. Now, her father, Alystair Venus, has finally take action.

Arestha XIII Rei Mars

Rei was named after the late Queen Arestha the First (Arestha I Rei Mars), the first ruler of Mars. She was supposed to be throne when she reached 20 since her mother, the late Queen Arestha XII Reira Mars died when having Rei. But she disappeared before that where people presumed her dead. Currently, Mars is ruled by Rei's father, Kir Mars. (Did she ever miss home? We'll see XD)

OKAY! That's enough explanations. If I continued, there will be too much spoiler . Guess all of us have to wait ;-). Thank for reading!


	11. Chapter 11: Eclipse

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 11: Eclipse**

**-Day 29 Month 2 Year 444: Moon-**

Usagi was sitting alone at the edge of a long oval table. From the quiet conservatory she was in, she could see the sky through the transparent glass roof. It was only noon but the sky had already gotten darker and all because half of the sun was covered by shadow. It was a sign of the beginning of the lunar eclipse and the thought of it just made her heart gloom. But something else bothered her much more than just a dark sky and all she could do was sitting silently, waiting anxiously for someone to rescue her. When the door was cracked opened, her face was lightened up and then smiled in full of hope when she saw Makoto.

Without bother to announce herself, Makoto entered the room in rather hasty pace and seriousness on her face.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Usagi"

"How is it?"

"Honestly? With Minako leaving, I'm out of hand but I have put a maximum security around the palace. The council just made me crazy! Especially King Alystair and Queen Titania. I had a hard time reassuring them and they were asking for immediate meeting between the Moon Alliance council"

The smile was no longer placed upon Usagi's face. She was back to her anxious self as it showed on her tone. "Is that necessary?"

"As much as I hate this meeting, but I could not be more agree than them. We should take this matter seriously. Everybody knew that we are under attack and if we don't make the right move, it could do some damage to the trust between the Alliances. At least, we warned everybody about it…", when Makoto finished her words, the queen was unable to reply. The Jovian realized it and understood why the silence was about. She was right when she saw the look on her face and decided to take a seat beside Usagi. She took the blond's hand and then spoke again, "Usagi… This is not your fault"

"Not knowing that my own Kingdom was being invaded was a disgrace"

"We don't know about it. No one knew and stop taking everything on your own. We are here to help you"

"How can I lead everyone when I could not even protect them?"

Makoto stunned and lost her words when she saw tears began to form on Usagi's blue eyes. It was tears of distress and sadness.

Then, their conversation was stopped when they heard steps approaching them. They realized they were not alone. From behind, voice of a man interrupted. "May I come in?"

Makoto had guessed to whom the voice belongs to and when she stood up to see the person standing behind them, she guessed it right. It was Elliros.

"Commander Elliros, what a surprise. I thought you've left", Makoto said with loath tone.

"There are few things that I would like to discuss with Her Highness on behalf of King Alystair if I may. It's rather important"

By the time Usagi finished wiping the tear in her eyes, she stood as well and turned around to face the man. "Gladly, please have a seat, Commander"

"Thank you, Your Highness, standing will be fine since I must do this quick"

"This is about the fugitive-"

"I appreciate if you don't use that word", Makoto interrupted, clearly dislike by the usage of word.

"I terribly sorry for your displeasure, Princess Zena however considering what happened last night, it was clear that Princess Arestha has committed a murder and has escaped from her responsibility"

"You have no proof and how do you know that she was here?" The brunette said rudely.

"Princess Zena…" Usagi called using Makoto's royal name with soft yet stern voice, remind the Jovian to behave in front of their guest. Makoto did not turn to the owner of the voice and calmed herself right away, knowing to do otherwise was just futile.

"People talks, Princess and regardless whether she was innocent or not, still, we all know what she had done seven years ago"

"We don't have any witness"

"We have a witness seeing her running away from the scene"

"Still, no one saw her doing it and yesterday incident had no connection at all"

"The wound on those guards' corpse was exactly the same burn marks from seven years ago. I think Princess Hermoine stated that in her report"

Makoto looked a little surprised by the man's knowledge. They had been trying to be a little discrete with the finding in order to lessen the tension before they could properly investigate what happened. The brunette began to feel the danger of the situation and the threat from the man in front of her. "It only states that the guards sustained severe degree of burns but it was not the cause of the death. Again, we have no witness in Aino City's incident or yesterday attack as well to proof of Princess Arestha's involvement"

"She would not have run if she is innocent! And again, she disappeared and how could you still believe that it's not her? How could you deny all of these facts? We could have a murderer at large?"

"I did not say that I overlook all these facts. I am simply saying that until everything has been proven then we can make a necessary accusation. We all devastated by yesterday's event and the incident in Aino City but we should not be rushed by revenge and anger to make a decision"

"I agree with Princess Zena, Commander. We should take things slowly before any decision were made"

Elliros showed his displeasure clearly on his face.

"Then, you leave me no choice. We will have to confiscate all the evidence and the corpses as well to be brought back to Venus. We will do our own investigation"

"Nothing could leave this Kingdome without the Queen's permission!"

"I have been ordered by King Alystair to pursue Princess Arestha no matter what. The King has been tolerant for the past couple of years however, his patience is running short. Prolong all this non-sense would not satisfy the rest of the Nations. Necessary acts must be taken from now on and if the Moon can't, we will"

"Are you saying that you could not trust us?" There was hint of anger in Makoto's voice but it seemed did not bother the man at all as he answered the Jovian coolly.

"No one wants the past to be repeated again and we are simply doing our parts to assure the peace in the Silver Millenium Alliance"

Then, subtle sound of footsteps was heard approaching them. It sounded hasty one, seem like the person was running. When they heard the arrival of the mysterious steps in the room, they were all had their attention to the newcomer. It was Ami.

"I apologize for the interruption. I must cut your hearing short, Commander Elliros since your men were just swarming into my facilities without notice"

"Ah… I was just going mentioned about it to the Queen, Princess Hermione, that my men is on their way to take all the evidence"

"This is absurd! No one should remove anything before the Queen authorized it!" Makoto said furiously.

Still in his compose self, he just ignored the brunette and looked at Queen right away, "I do apologize, My Queen but the King could no longer wait and it seems my men are so eager to go home to prepare for my wedding-"

Makoto had it enough. Her face was flushing in anger and she wanted nothing but to punch the man on the face regardless of what her punishment will be. Before she could move forward, the brunette stopped when Usagi suddenly rose from her throne and took the chance to announce her own displeasure in much more diplomatic way.

"Commander Elliros, you are still in my court and especially in MY court, I expect you behave properly like you should as well as your men. And let me remind you also that I do have the authority to remove anyone, I mean ANYONE, within the Silver Millenium Alliance regardless who or what position they have. Is THAT clear?"

"Y-yes, Your Highness"

"Good, then you may go with your man. I will let you to borrow our evidences however I'll need them back soon, understood?"

"Thank you for your cooperation, Your Highness. Now, will you excuse me", Elliros bowed to the Queen and turned around, heading out to the door.

When the man disappeared behind the door, a loud sign was heard and they could see Usagi leaned back on her throne, letting out all the formalities that she had to wear during official visit like this. On the other hand, Makoto was far not too happy than the blond. She was infuriated. "If you had let me, I would have squeeze his neck-"

"You should control your anger, Mako, we all should. We must understand the severity of our alliance with all the kingdoms and such act would just make it worse especially in a time like this"

"I'm sorry…"

Usagi could only sign again, knowing she could not blame the brunette hundred percent. She was almost lost her patience herself with Elliros. She directed her eyes to the Mercurian who was standing patiently in front of the two. "What did you get so far, Ami?"

When the Queen's question came, the annoyed looks were suddenly faded. Her face began to turn pale a little with nervousness all over. The Mercurian was looked like as if she was thinking hard inside her head, uncertain and looking rigid.

"Not much. I have checked with our DNA database from all planets, but none of them match. Their DNA structure almost resembles Earthlings but not entirely", Ami took a pause before she continued explaining with straight her face and breathing as subtle as she could.

"How could it be possible?"

"It seems the Kunoichi are not the creature from this Solar System"

"New enemies?"

"I would not call them new… Judging from their appearance, it seemed they have been doing some kind alteration to their appearance"

"Alteration?" Usagi surprised.

"Yes, from their hair, eyes color and skin"

"Why would they do that?"

"It's like they were studying us", all eyes went to Makoto after her short comment.

Ami was not looked as shocked as Usagi but she only stared at Makoto with knowing look. "That's what I thought as well"

Usagi looked back and forth to her two advisors. "You mean they are adapting?"

"Most likely, yes. What we found is that all their appearance resembles our Solar System natives. They are imitating us. I don't how much further they learned they way we live or our culture but it is almost impossible to tell them apart from the real people. They seem have been living quite long time among us to be able to reach such perfection", Ami continued.

"Did you able to find what they really look like?"

Before Ami answered, she flashed a quick glance to Makoto which was noticed by the bruntte right away. "According to DNA reading, they should have red hairs, gray eyes and bleach skin"

It was a complete silence at first before Usagi began to ask again. "Did you say red hair?"

"Yes…"

"Red hair, gray eyes and bleach skin… I think I heard about it somewhere…" Usagi tried to remember something that she learned long time ago but she did not have the slightest idea of what it was.

The other two looked at the Queen but it was not surprised or curious kind of stare, they both looked worrisome. When their eyes caught, each of their eyes was telling the same thing; a hidden message, a glimpse of secret that they were trying to hide. Then, Ami looked away and broke everyone's chain of thought. "U-Usagi, there is something else that I have to tell you…"

The Queen looked up as her attention directed to Ami again. "What is it?"

Ami relieved when Usagi seemed not to notice her awkwardness however the tension kept growing as she felt the intense stares that the green eyes given to her. She ignored the uneasiness and began to explain, "It's about the wound… I have had them checked twice and yes; it is positive that both wounds were made by the same attack which is most likely Rei's fire shots", right after the explanation, Makoto just kept quiet but Ami could see it shocked the brunette more than it looks. The green eyes were no longer staring at her, instead, they were staring down onto the white tiles with disappointment all over the Jovian's face but it was not the same for the Queen. Usagi's face was motionless, unchanging from before as she was waiting for Ami's next words and so, the Mercurian continued. "But I notice something else"

Makoto lifted her face and looked at the Mercurian again. This time, it was curious stare. "What did you notice?"

"The burn sustained by the Lunarian soldiers somehow was inconsistent with the thermal pattern from the one sustained by the Kunoichi and from seven years ago. Technically speaking, the degrees of the burn are different and moreover, the burn on the Lunarian soldiers should not been able to kill them right away"

"In summary, it could be two different attacks", Usagi added after the Mercurian finished. She looked at Ami who could not agree more, nodded at the blond's conclusion. This time, Usagi's face was no longer stayed still. Signing, she let worries taken over her. "What could this means?"

"I wish I could have more detail about but they took all the evidences and I couldn't investigate it further… But what I think that the Kunoichi could have done this to our guards. Minako told me that these people could use some sort of force, forming energy's sphere-"

"No", all stares suddenly directed towards Makoto who disagreed firmly at Ami's explanation. "It was not their attack… I'm positive"

"How do you know, Mako?" Ami asked with a hint of suspicion.

Before Makoto could give some explanation, they were interrupted them again but this time, it was a loud knock on the huge door.

"Come in!"

The creak of the door was heard again and this time, it was a Lunarian soldier. He did not enter further, only few feet away from the door and bowed from afar.

"Please forgive my intrusion, Your Highness, I've been requested to pass on an urgent message for Princess Zena", still bowing with his eyes looking down, he rose both of his arms with a parchment in his hands.

Makoto looked really surprise since she did not expecting any message. She walked down to the soldier and took the parchment from the man. She opened it and began to read it. It was taking quite some time as the brunette kept rereading the parchment back and forth. Once she finished reading, a mixed reaction appeared on the Jovian's face. The brunette looked confused and shock at first and then changed to anger.

"What is it, Mako?" Usagi asked but was not answered.

"It's from Jupiter", without explaining any further, Makoto passed by the man and stormed out of the room.

"Mako! Wait!" Ami followed her and left the two occupants in the hearing chamber, confuse by the parting.

It was not long before the soldier excused himself and left as well which Usagi ended alone in her throne again. Her brain went back to the main issue and began to think deeply again.

As much as she wanted to be positive, Usagi could not help having a bad feeling. Either it was because what happened the day before or because everything was just the beginning. However, out of everything, her mind was filled mostly because of a certain raven woman who had disappeared ever since. All evidences seemed directed to Rei and the more they investigate, the more they were placing Rei in the corner. Moreover, the raven was nowhere to be found.

Then, Usagi realized the room was getting darker and darker. She looked up to see the Earth was no longer being displayed and the sun begun to disappear slowly into small crescent. Nothing could make Usagi feeling more eerie than experiencing the darkest time when the Moon walked into the shadow of the Earth.

When the eclipse completed and the sun's ray disappeared, the Moon's surface suddenly swarmed in scarlet light and only a ring of red light became visible on the dark sky. Usagi could only stared at the changing moments with only a little hope left out of her whether the veil of dark times will soon be lifted or closed down forever.

"Mako! Wait!" Ami shouted few feet behind Makoto. After several times calling the brunette, still Makoto was not bothered to answer her. Instead, she kept walking without looking back at the Mercurian and it frustrated Ami even more. "I said STOP!"

Then, the brunette stopped and turned around, she had the same frustration showed on her face as she replied Ami with harsh tone. "What?"

Ami stopped right in front of Makoto with her hand placed on her chest, trying to hold her heart from beating out of control. Then, Ami spoke while panting heavily, "W-where… are going?"

"I just need to go out for some fresh air"

"The letter isn't it?"

"It's nothing"

"Liar", Ami said out of annoyance. The way the Jovian replied before was just making Ami upset but the Jovian as well, felt insulted by the Mercurian.

Makoto looked at the blue-haired woman with brows twitching and green eyes staring deeply into the others. There was detestation in those stares after what Ami just called her and she began to sarcastically retort the Mercurian. "It should have been me to ask what are you trying to pull, Ami?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you tell Usagi about what you know? I mean you already suspected me much to it so why don't you just tell her? Or are you waiting until the Council meeting so you could spill it out to everyone?"

In that moment, Ami was not in her usual self. She felt annoyed and impatient especially after the way Makot was talking to her. "If you so afraid that I will spill it out, why don't you just tell everyone about the Kunoichi? About everything you know! Wouldn't it be easier, Mako? So there will be no secret between us"

"You don't understand… I just can't, Ami"

"Why then?"

"This is none of your business! Why would you care anyway?"

"Because I love you!" Ami just screamed out of her lung and it was not only startled Makoto but it surprised the Mercurian herself as well by the confession.

Suddenly, the brunette scared off the Mercurian as she hit the wall as hard as she could, made a pretty bad crack on the wall.

"What do you want, Ami? Why did you do this to me? You're the one who don't want us to be together but you kept coming to me! It's like you are playing with me! You're torturing me! It's just making me crazy!" Makoto were just gone out of control. The surge of emotion was finally released and only silence came after it. Both side did not responded, filled with guilt. When things had calmed, finally Makoto shared another words with Ami in much softer and more like pleading way. "You are right Ami, you always are. We can't be together and we will never be. Let's just end this once and for all…"

And, the brunette left and Ami was not trying to follow her for the second time. She only stood there dumbstruck and eyes damped from tears.

_-__**Year 427: Neo Olde Tokyo**__-_

_The dark days continued enveloping the city of Neo Olde Tokyo for the beginning of time. The storm was not stopping its rampage in the city of darkness and kept terrorizing the Earthlings from the day they existed. It was the land of the cursed. For more than hundreds of years, they had been living under the God's wrath and it would continue as long as they lived. Nevertheless, they kept battling for a change and a hope for new life._

_In that very night, a boy was walking in the long dark corridor with his only light from the little candle he brought. His steps were not audible since the storm. He shivered right away as his ears surrounded by the roaring of the thunder. However, the boy was fearless. He kept wandering alone in his castle with one mission to accomplish. When he stopped walking, he found a light coming from the door that slightly opened. He smiled to himself, relieved and rushed toward that door. He peeked inside and saw the man he was looking for._

"_Father?"_

_His small voice was inaudible compared to the thunders roared even louder. He decided to enter the room and went closer to the man. As the boy entered, the room was far warmer compared to the cold corridor and no wonder his father always survived the cold stormy night with the fireplace by his side. But he wished that the room was as cold as the ice from Pluto so he would find other place to stay, like his own bedroom. The boy got sadden by the thought of his father never spent his time in the bed by his mother side. He would rather sit there in his large armchair, facing the large window with water droplets all over it every single night and the same amount of nights, the boy had been diligently visiting his father, asking him to go to bed._

"_Father, it's me, Endymion"_

_The man did not bothered by the presence of his son. He stayed still with eyes kept straight to the window, staring with such depth intensity and his face emotionless as if he was waiting for something. _

_The same frustration felt by the eleven-years-old-boy like the day before and before. Almost every night he would beg his father and ended up sleeping on the sofa until morning greeted him. But, like any other nights, he always hoped that his father would listen to him and went to his bedroom for a change which never happened._

"_Father, please, for the thousand times, go to bed. Mother is waiting for you-"_

"_Oh!" The man exclaimed and suddenly stood from his chair to his son surprised._

_The young Endymion knew why he was reacting in such a way as if he had found what he had lost for all this time. It was not something that worth looking for but for his father, it was priceless._

_The moon appeared in between the cloudy night, shone brightly above the watery drops and right through the window into the room. Its bright and round form perfectly fitted the large window like a beautiful painting. The man was completely taken by the sight and his blue eyes never left from it for a second. His right hand rose from his side, floating in the air as if he could grab the moon with his bare palm. The emotionless face was replaced with joy and Endymion hated it._

"_Father, please stop this!"_

"_It's beautiful", the man mumbled to himself._

_The boy was being ignored once again like any other time but Endymion had it enough. He could no longer stand his father absurdity and let the anger inside him burst out. He had lost it._

"_No, it's not! It's… It's SICKEN me!"_

_The thunder roared all of the sudden and the moon was hidden again behind the dark cloud. The lit room turned dim again and the joy on the man's face disappeared. He turned his face to his son and looked at him with the same emotionless look. "Sick? Sick you said?"_

_The man's icy blue eyes stared at the younger ones, piercing through the boy's heart. Endymion never felt so scared in his life but his lips would not stay silence and replied with obvious. "Y-yes"_

"_You don't know anything, boy! Let me tell you what is sick! YOU! I'm SICK of you and your mother!"_

_When you lost your battle and your hope was crushed, only emptiness left _

_For the first time, Endymion did not sleep in his father foyer and it was the last time, he stepped into that room ever again._

-**Neo Olde Tokyo Present Day**-

The cold blue eyes opened as they were presented in front of the storm outside, wilding throughout the night sky like any other night. Endymion was standing in front of a huge transparent window which viewed the stormy city of Neo Olde Tokyo. His mind was drifted to the memory of his childhood. It was the same stormy night as that day with his father words kept repeating over and over again, like chanting it as if they were magic words, haunting him forever. But for King of the Earth Kingdom, it was not just a curse. It was words of oath, and strength for him to revenge those who had made his life miserable.

"My Lord" Kunzite called.

The King changed his stare from the window to the man with silver long-haired behind him. Kunzite came few minutes ago and reported him on the progression of the mission but the King ignored him completely and went back to see the endless storm.

"My Lord, they've begun-"

"I heard you clearly, Kunzite. There is no need to explain it twice"

"My apology, My Lord", the silver-haired man was still bowing, keeping his gaze down on the floor. Kunzite stole a look at his Lord who still had his eyes on the dark view outside in silence. Compare to Endymion's cold and remote face, Kunzite had something else in his mind and he decided to share his thought. "My Lord, can we trust 'her'?"

The king did not spare a look at the commander of his Army and answered in the same flat monotone voice. "There's no reason to doubt her words. She's never wrong"

"Forgive me, My Lord. It is not my intention to question your decision but it was her loyalty that I doubt, My Lord"

This time, the King turned to see the trouble in his men's face. Kunzite could never see directly into those penetrating blue eyes but this time he did not look away, showing his even more worried eyes.

"I know what you meant, Kunzite. We must be careful but she got all we need to win this and soon… we will conquer the Moon Alliance in no time. I would rather die than have to live in shame like our ancestors", Endymion muttered with bitterness in his voice.

"I'll never let you die, My Lord! Your life meant so much to your people. Therefore I will make sure we have our victory even without her"

"Kunzite, I will not die because I know we are going to win. But in order to win, we need more than mere luck. That's why we need her. Did you doubt me that much, Kunzite?"

"Forgive me, My Lord. It was not what I'm trying to say. It is just that as you loyal servant, it is my duty to protect you from danger and it is my instinct to suggest you not to be close to that… woman", Kunzite said it but kept his stare down, not daring to look up. But the man received no answer. It seemed the king was not paying attention at him.

Endymion's mind was not in the conversation any longer as his eyes were directed to the blackened sky where it covered by dark clouds mostly. He felt that night was slightly different from any other night. Then, he found what he was looking for as the portion of the sky was no longer covered by the dark clouds and it revealed third-quarter of the Moon in reddish color.

"Do you know about the Nymph?"

Kunzite looked up. His face showed a little confuse by Endymion's question.

"The legend? Yes, I've heard about them. The Nymph was known to be beautiful mortals that live alongside the God as the servants of Gods", Kunzite stopped, wondering what his master was trying to do. Before he could finish his story, it was Endymion who took the chance to continue.

"The Nymph lives like the Gods, granted longevity longer than any other creature, power stronger than any other mortal and everything that none could own that God could have. But except for one thing; mortality"

It was quiet again. Endymion stayed still on his spot and already went back to stare at the condensing window. With only the sound of heavy storm was heard, the silence just brought confusion to Kunzite and curiosity of what was the message behind the tale that the King told him.

"I'm not quite understood what you're wanting me to know, My Lord", Kunzite spoke.

While Kunzite obediently waited, suddenly his eyes were staring at the window behind Endymion. What caught his attention was the striking scenery of the moon which had changed into complete red. It was a total lunar eclipse.

The fascination ended when his attention back to the king as he turned to face Kunzite. In a moment, the silver-haired man saw the red color flashed inside Endymion's cold blue-eyes; a perfect color for the heart full of anger and greed.

"Desire, Kunzite… It is just a terrible thing God could ever created"

_-__**Year 432: Neo Olde Tokyo**__-_

"_I can't believe it… The Queen has gone"_

_Five maids were standing in front of the door to King __Aethlius' study room, whispering quietly for not being heard. The night before was a tragic night to all people in Neo Olde Tokyo. A misfortune had befell to their beloved Queen Calyce who died from great sickness. It was a devastating moment and the Queen's name had become a taboo throughout the kingdom. But still, people could not stay silent from it._

"_Poor, Prince Endymion. He is such a devoted son"_

_The conversation was interrupted with the appearance of four young knights in their usual black chainmail with few guards behind them. The five maids stopped their chattering and bowed right away to the four gentlemen. They seemed not too happy._

_The silver-haired man came forward to the maid in the middle who seemed to be the head of the maids. Then, Kunzite spoke in cold voice, colder than his usual self._

"_All of you are dismissed. The King ordered no one should be in this wing for the rest of the day. He does not want to be bothered"_

_All the women did not question Kunzite and bowed again before they disappeared from the corridor as they were commanded, leaving men alone._

_When they had made sure no one in the perimeter, Kunzite gave the signal to the guards and they barged into the room. Rather than entering_

_The man was still sitting in his armchair, turned his head to see several guards were just barged into the foyer to the king's bewilderment. _

"_What this all about? Get out!" The King shouted angrily._

_The men did not hinder his highness' command. Instead, they went further into the room and approached the enraged man. The King got even more furious by their disobedience but before he could react, two guards held him by the arms and forced him got up from his armchair and dragged him away, out of the room._

"_Let go of me! How dare you! I'm your King! Let go-"_

_The two guards were not listening to him and kept their grip tight on the King's arms. The man did not pay too much attention where he was being brought to as he kept struggling, try to find a way to free himself from these men. They stopped when they had reached their destination and to King __Aethlius realization, he was in the hearing chamber already__. The four knights; Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and lastly, Kunzite, stood still did not even shared their look at the King. Then, a man was sitting in the throne where usually the King was sitting. The King could not be more shock when he realized the man who was taking his place right now. It was Endymion._

"_Endymion-"_

"_SILENCE!" Kunzite's shout put the man into silence. "The King is about to make announcement"_

_The King was confused when suddenly an old man appeared from behind the throne. He was holding a scroll of paper tightly with his eyes warily looking anything and everything around him. _

"_Diodorus", Endymion's voice startled the old man as he heard his name was being called._

"_Y-yes, My Lord"_

"_Read what the 'King' has said"_

"_Yes, My Lord. R-right away", with his skinny hand, he opened the scroll rather hasten and tried to hold it opened properly with his trembling hand while reading the writing on the paper out loud. "The King has announced that His Highness will retire from His position due to the illness His Highness suffers. Therefore, the King decides to __succeed the throne on the hand of his only rightful heir, Prince Endymion. Long live King Aethlius and long live to our new King" _

"_LONG LIVE KING AETHLIUS. LONG LIVE OUR NEW KING", all the soldiers repeated at the same time and as loud as they could be. No one dared to say anything or they knew the price they must pay._

'_King' __Aethlius was even more bewildered than before and he could not help but enraged caused by his own son._

"_This is absurd! Endymion how could you do this! I'm your father!"_

"_I have to take matter into own my hand, father. Our people are devastated. We should no longer hear all the lies from those Moon Alliance people. It's time to show our power to those snobs"_

"_You are making a mistake!"_

"_I have arranged you to be sent to your 'resting' place. This people need a real leader, not someone mooning over some ridiculous dream. Take him away"_

"_NO! NO! Why Endymion? Why you did this to me?"_

"_STOP!" Endymion ordered the guards to freeze in their place as he rose from his throne and walked over to the helpless man. He brought his face closer to the man and then whispered coldly, "You don't remember, father? Of course you don't because you never care about your people, your country and especially, your family… Mother died and you were not there when she needed you! That is why!"_

_The young King turned around and waved his hand, signing to take the old King away. The man was screaming and cursing his son as he was dragged out of the room. But Endymion had completely ignored them, closing his ears, his eyes and his heart forever with only one thing to drive him forward, his anger._

"_Kunzite, call 'her' now and I want all of you to leave", Endymion ordered and then pointed his hand to his four newly appointed commanders, "Includes the rest of you as well"_

"_But My Lord, I-"_

"_Kunzite, this is an ORDER"_

_The silver-haired man did not argued back and then left with the rest of the soldiers. When the hearing chamber was emptied, the new King waited in silence until steps were heard again coming to the chamber. There were five people in black hooded robe appeared in the room and it seemed the new King had been expecting them._

_The five people stopped not far away from the throne and then bowed at Endymion. One woman in the middle came forward and began to say something, "Congratulation, King Endymion"_

"_I have no time for your courtesy. I just want to know what you want", Endymion said coldly._

_The middle woman stood up gracefully and took off her hood. Anyone would have been dumbfounded by the flawless beauty, running from her perfect nose, jaw, lips and her sharp electric-blue eyes and hardly anyone would forgotten her long rich wavy hair with dark-blue in color, flowing magnificently as she let them down. Endymion gave a cold smile she he stared at the beauty in front of him. It was a flirtatious smile. Such charm and beauty could fool any men and even Endymion's remoteness found it a waste for such jewel not to be savored. However, he knew that this woman was not the kind of woman that could be prey of any men and for that, Endymion would keep cautious for his own safety._

_The woman was smiling back although the man sitting on the throne offering nothing but unwelcome demeanor._

"_I'm here to serve you, My Lord", the woman came closer to the King and bowed right beside him as she took Endymion's hand and kissed it. She looked up to see the man's cold-blue eyes and said, "There is no future that I cannot see and destiny will bring you to the highest and mightiest victory of all men and Gods, My Lord"_

"_If I'm going to win, why should I need you to tell me this?"_

"_Because it is I who will bring you to victory"_

_The endearment angered Endymion. He shrugged the woman's hand away from his and snapped angrily. "Who do you think you are?"_

_Her pale-blue eyes did not blink. The roar did not budge her at all. Even so, the woman could still smile and replied the lord boldly. "You need me to fulfill your destiny as I need you to fulfill mine. For that reason, I am here to serve you, My Lord"_

"_Any man would take you in right away to hear such word and I'm a man myself that I could deny a beautiful lady right in front of my door HOWEVER I am no such fool to trust anyone"_

"_Was not my premonition a truth enough to you?"_

"_It's not your ability that I doubt. I just need you to prove your loyalty to me"_

"_Then, let me proof them to you… with time and you will see the path of glory in front of you"_

_Endymion stood from his throne abruptly but no longer infuriated. He saw the look in those pale-blue eyes and something told him that she was not just any ordinary woman, a dangerous one._

_It took a while before the king made his decision; to play with fire, a victorious fire at least. "Very well then, you shall be my servant until you've proven your words…"_

"_Thank you, My Lord", she moved aside to show Endymion the other four figures that stayed still during the entire conversation. "Here are my followers and they called themselves as mages"_

"_Mages?"_

"_Yes, mages. They have the ability to use magical power. Like this", the woman clapped her hand and one of her follower began to chant. Then, suddenly, a heap of fire burst out of nowhere, almost reaching the tall ceiling of the hall. Endymion was impressed and in that moment of fascination, the woman continued. "They will be useful for you, My Lord"_

_When the attraction ended, the King looked again at the woman with his eyes still full of fascination of mage's act and asked,"What's your name?"_

"_Nehellenia, My Lord. My name is Nehellenia"_

_The beautiful woman answered with mischievous smile on her lips._

**Author's note:**

Done at last! Sorry, no Rei or Minako this time. It will be a surprise for next chapter XD

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!


	12. Chapter 12: Princess of Venus

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 12: Princess of Venus**

-**Day 02 Month 3 Year 444: Venus**-

The sky of Venus always wrapped in its thick orange-red atmosphere during daytime and only when the night came, darkness once again prevails. The sun had never visible in daytime except during the sunrise or sunset when Venus is at its brightest. Only every hundred seventeen days that Venusian could see the sunrise and only that time, the capital city of Venus, Nouveau Aino City, would be shined gloriously under the sun's golden ray. However, to Minako, a deep scar was left beneath that glorious city. Whenever she stood at the top of Mount Aphrodite as she looked at the entire capital city bathe in the sun ray, she just knew Venusian's pride would never be the same again.

The blond closed her eyes as she seeks peacefulness under the breezy sun ray. Venus was a dry land and its temperature was boiling. Even for some Venusians, they had never get used to such heat anymore ever since Mercurian latest breakthrough in creating a man-made ozone that managed to protect the entire surface of the planet from the sun's heat except the peak of the sacred mountain of Venusian Goddess, Aphrodite. Minako detested that mountain for many reasons.

Minako's blue eyes opened wide when she realized that her time was up. She turned around and headed over to a glasshouse right in the middle of the hill. When she reached the door of the glasshouse, she stopped for a moment. She took as deep as she could some air into her lungs and exhaled before she let herself into the glasshouse.

When she stepped in, suddenly Minako shuddered as a wave of chilled air came all over her. The temperature difference was vast. She was greeted with flowers of various colors and small trees decorated inside the glasshouse. It was also felt much cooler and friendlier inside however; it did not made Minako more comfortable than outside. It came to a surprise for her that she only was feeling a little agitate. It was not because of the temperature that agitated her but it was the place itself. Then, she let her eyes wandered to the object of her uneasiness; a beautifully-crafted white stone stood right in the middle of the glasshouse. It was as tall as Minako's waist with writings on it. Just by looking at it, the uneasiness grew but it did not stopped Minako to continue walking.

She was not heading to the middle of the room directly and went to pick up few flowers from the side. When the Venusian princess finished, she went to approach the white stone with a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Minako placed the bouquet down in front of the stone and stayed bending as her eyes travelled to the writings written on it.

"Our Little Angel", only silence attended her as she red the writings in subtle whisper. Tears began to fill her blue eyes when suddenly she was alarmed by the movement coming from behind.

Minako turned around to see her intruder but her eyes swiftly blinded by the ray of the orange sky slipped between the openings of the glasshouse's entry. Quickly, she moved her hand to Aphrozakrov seated upon her waist but only managed to draw it half. Every inch of the blond princess' body had stopped moving. Not a single breath or sound was made. She even felt like her heart stopped beating for a second. Only her eyes made one single move staring at the image in front of her. A small figure appeared before the light and it was overwhelmed by shadow. What stunned her even more was the large shadowy objects spread behind the figure like wings.

There was mixed reaction shown on Minako's face. It was mixed of disbelief and most of all, she was frightened. She, Amadore Minako Venus, was never been frighten by anything, even when she fought in the mightiest beast. She would have stormed into anything that she recognized as danger without hint of hesitation, however, in front of this unknown shadow, her knees were suddenly felt weak and every inch of her body was unable to move. Anyone would agree that the shadow looked like the form of angel but Minako vision was telling her something else. It was something far more innocent than an angel and that had been haunting her forever.

"Boo!"

The noise still kept Minako in silence. She was too surprised to response. Not because it scared her anymore but it made her confuse. After many seconds of staying dumbstruck, no words came out of Minako's lips except to repeat what the shadow just said. "B-boo?"

Suddenly, a laugh was heard, light voice but sharp. The Venusian princess recognized the voice right away when a little figure came out of the shadow as she took off her hood and the so-called-wing turned out to be the girl's little arms opened wide covered with her cape. The smugness spread upon the little girl lips and amethyst eyes were glittering in victory.

"Hi, Minako!" Reiko said heartily, giving her late greeting. But it seemed the older blond was far from being amuse. Minako could only flush in anger and her voice was a little hysterical from the shock.

"It's not funny!" Minako snapped and it cleared out the smile on Reiko's face. "How many times do I have to tell you that you should not wander around alone! Do you know the danger that you are facing right now? I told you to stay at the palace! You never know if the enemy is here and you will be in danger! And this time, no one could save you, not even Rei!"

Not for long before Minako regretted for her action when she saw the sullenness on Reiko's face. When she stared into the tearful amethyst eyes, Minako's anger slowly disappeared and only to be replaced by guilt.

"Reiko, I'm so-", Minako wanted to apologize but it was cut short by Reiko's sudden ourburst.

"Rei is not lying!" Reiko tried her hardest not to have more tears than she had already shed and continued, " S-she promised me t-that she will bring me back to Nene! I know she will be back! Y-you always s-said bad things about her! I hate you! I hate you!" Then she exited the glasshouse and ran away.

"Reiko!" Minako followed the girl to the wilderness. She felt terrible for what she did. She had forgotten that the child was lonely and especially when she was left by someone she had grown to love. The feeling that princess knew all too well.

Suddenly, a shadow flashed by the bushes and the blond princess immediately looked her surrounding for irregular move. When she heard a noise from the same bushes and it was moving in the same direction as her, Minako's alarm started to ring and yelled at the girl in front of her who was still running. "Reiko!"

The girl ignored Minako's call, not knowing the danger she might be facing. The movement between the bushes was getting faster and the first thing that came into Minako's mind was the Kunoichi. Although she had been patrolling around in hope finding no enemy's activities around but still, the hope crushed as soon as the insecurity crawled back into her. Frustrated, Minako went to close her eyes, trying to find tranquility in between her racing heartbeat and focused her mind to her inner-self. Within a second, the Venusian opened her eyes again and they were already glowing in gold. "REIKO, LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

The little girl stopped to turn around, noticing the urgency in Minako's voice and then surprised by a person heading towards her. Reiko was stunned.

Minako stormed in, almost breaking the grand white door and she found herself in a familiar room where the first sight you saw as you entered the room was bookshelves standing tall, filling with lots of books from politics to fairytale stories. At the right corner, there used to be two arms chairs placed by the fireplace where her parents used to read her books but now there was only one and empty armchair sitting in front of the burning firewood. She felt nostalgic all of the sudden and surge of misery came over her as well. Then she turned her attention to the other corner of the room where she found the person she was looking for. Her father.

Alystair was sitting at his study desk with papers and few books piled around. Only with a single lantern was used to light his surrounding in the darkest hour of the day. Behind him, a large portrait was hung and it struck Minako for a moment. It was a family portrait of her younger self and her parents from few years back. Again, the pain hit her hard as she tried to forget the painful memory of her deceased mother.

"Minako? Is that you?" Alystair spoke, stealing Minako's attention back to him.

"Yes, father", the princess came approaching the sitting man and as she got closer, white lines were clearly seen in the aging man's blond hair. Sometimes she had forgotten how old her father is and how long she had not been there by her father's side.

"Where have you been? It's late", the middle-aged man asked. The close distance provided him a better view of his daughter and from the look on her face, he knew she was not happy.

"I know it's late and I've told you that I'll be going to the hill. ALONE", Minako raised her voice at the end of her sentence sarcastically, showing her displeasure.

"What's with the angry tone?"

"Like I said, I want to go to the hill alone and I did NOT request for any stalker!"

The man signed helplessly at his daughter. "You have to know that I'm worried about you, so does Elliros. We just want to make sure that you are safe"

"So you're sending someone to watch over me but couldn't even watch a little girl?"

The man blinked his eyes in confuse, "What do you mean?"

"Reiko followed me to the hill. I specifically ordered that she is not supposed to be out there!"

"Then, it was that stalker of yours who was in charge of retrieve Reiko back and that's why maybe he was out there"

"That man told me that he was supposed to follow ME after I beat the crap out of him! He almost hurt Reiko! And how could they assign someone when NO ONE knew that Reiko was even gone?"

No longer staring at his daughter, Alystair just leaned back at his chair and signed again for the second time. "I'll have Elliros take care of it-"

Hearing the name somehow irritates Minako even more and she continued again in even angrier tone without letting his father finished. "No! I don't need Elliros to do everything for us! I just want my opinion to be taken seriously!"

"I heard you and that's why Elliros is going to make sure that the girl would not escape next time"

"It's not just that, Papa. You know what I mean. I don't want to marry him!"

Gave out another long sign, the man just stared at his daughter with sad looks. "We have decided this from few years back and you know it. Listen, Minako, he is the perfect man to help you to run this kingdom. Everything will be okay, Minako"

"Okay? How could it be okay for me to serve people who killed my mother?" Minako replied in such resentment and pain.

"What did happen was an accident"

"It was not, father! If it was not because of them, mother didn't have to die!"

One's anger triggered another and Alystair knew that this meeting would not end quietly as he began to raise his voice. "Do not argue with me, Minako, this is your mother's wish"

"No, it's not! It's your wish father, not her, so stop using her as your reasoning to do anything and everything! All of this is merely you own selfish wish!"

The patience had gone and Alystair jumped from his chair with his face angrier than before. "Are you letting your mother died in vain? She gave her life for her people and she died for them as well so they could have a peaceful life! That's your mother's will and are you going to ruin that just for your ego? Are you going to destroy everything that your mother and I have made for you?"

"I did not ask for it!"

Alystair had enough of the conversation and refrained back to his sitting position. "What has been decided is decided. Elliros loves you and he will protect you and the future of this kingdom. You should be thankful to him that he wants to accept you after your sinful-"

Minako banged the table as hard as she could and gave her father the deathful stare. She knew what he was talking about and it made her furious. "Don't you dare to call it a sin!"

"You knew that what I said is right. If that 'thing' never happened, you will not be in such pain and your mother must have been alive", older man said with disgust on his face.

"No one could tell! And you were there as well and you couldn't even save mother!"

"I was doing my duty like your mother wished me to and here I am, still fulfilling my wife's wishes! And if your mother is here, she would be saying the same thing that we must not forget our obligation to protect our people and our country!"

"But she's not here, isn't she?" Minako said bitterly and then walked away, leaving the shouting man behind her and exited the room in anger. But then was surprised when she almost bumped to Reiko. She forgot that she had asked her to wait for her outside.

Seeing Minako's sulking face, it frightened the little girl even more. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, you are not. Let's go for some rest", Minako replied calmly as she witnessed the innocent fear on the girl. She took Reiko's small hand and walked through the corridor hand-in-hand. The journey was mostly filled with silence until Reiko stopped her pace and called for the older blond.

"M-Minako…" The voice was different. It was not the same anxiety as before but it was more like nervousness.

"Yes?" Minako realized something was off. When she turned to stare at the Reiko, then she knew why.

Tears were running down on Reiko's fluffy white cheeks and Reiko was just looking down to the floor, letting her tears gracing the white marble. "I-I'm s-sorry. D-don't hate me"

Without hesitation, Minako hugged the little girl right away. Seeing so much sadness in such little body was just too heartbreaking. "Of course I don't hate you, silly. Why would I hate you anyway"

"B-because I-I said I hate you b-but I-I don't h-hate you…"

"I know that and I never hate you, Reiko, remember that, never"

"R-really?" Reiko pulled away and looked face-to-face with Minako. The tears had stopped flowing from the little face with only guilt-look in those puffy amethyst eyes and runny red nose seen. "Y-you're not angry with me?"

Minako smiled and shrugged her head, assuring Reiko the otherwise. "Listen, Reiko, I'm not angry with you. I'm angry with myself. It was all my fault. I should have understand what you've been through but I didn't. I'm sorry", Minako said apologetically while whipping the tears off Reiko's face. "I'll never leave you alone again. I promise. Can you forgive me?"

Reiko did not utter a word, only her lips tremble as she was trying to stop her eyes from getting watery again. But she was failed miserably and jumped into Minako's embrace again, crying over her already wet shoulder.

The hug was returned by Minako as little drop of tears was on their way wetting her cheeks. Reiko felt the older blond warmness was more than comforting but for Minako, it was not only that. In that moment, something came to her. The feeling that she sought once more, the feeling that has gone years ago, the feeling to care someone important to her, it empowered her. Minako did not want to lose this feeling and she would do with all her might to protect it, to protect Reiko.

Unknown to them, Elliros was watching them from afar. He only grunted silently and left the same way as he came.

Closing the grand white door behind him with blunt force, he walked away and cursing through his cruise along the corridor. His white long boots stepped on the white marble, leaving no trace of footsteps, only the sounds of it echoed through the west wing corridor. His black robe was covering his full form from shoulder to bottom, having only his head revealed. His mask placed neatly and squarely on his face, showing his blue eyes were focusing on his way ahead.

Then, his steps stopped in front of a large wooden door. When he opened it, the smell of dampness and dead rat crawled out of the dark staircase behind the door but the man was the least bothered by it. He entered and went down the staircase in the same slow pace. With little light from torches placed every few meter along the staircase, the man kept walking until the end of the stair and two men dressed in Venusian's armor stood by the next wooden door but half the size of the large one. He did not stopped to rest and continued as the men opened the door for the masked man, letting him entered with silence.

It was a dungeon ahead of him. He went inside, into the noisiness of his boots stepping on the watery floor and squeaking mice. It was a little slippery because of the mold but the masked man managed to keep himself in perfect balance and the sound of squeaking rats was heard. Cell by cell were passed and without caring whether there was men or drying skeletons in the cells, the man did not pay any attention outside his own destination. Before reaching the end of the dungeon, he stopped in front of one of the cell where inside, a silver-haired woman laid still on the dark and seemingly moldy floor.

The man just stayed motionless behind the metal bar. He only stared at the unconscious woman and then sneered.

"Soon, I'll take what's right fully mine… I'll make sure your beloved daughter understood the pain of betrayal just like you did to me"

_In that fateful night, she heard the crying of the child. It was massive like the roar of thunder, yet, it was beautiful like the singing of the birds in spring time. She could found calmness under such noise because she knew it was hers all along. She would never think that it would be the last music of her child that she could ever hear again._

_As she fell into deep slumber, she dreamt of a warm palace of her own, filled with happiness. The pool of joy yet filled up again and she knew a new future lies ahead of her, replacing the old broken dream. She knew it is going to be a new beginning and she wished it to be true._

_But then, the warmth replaced by an icy wind and the happiness had been completely disappeared. _

_Minako stood in the darkness of time as the coldness began to creep into her. She tried to find her way out of it but then stopped when she saw a woman stood in the middle of the room, looking exactly like her but it was not her. She sensed the great wisdom and kindness from her deep dark-blue eyes unlike the Venusian princess' baby blue eyes. It was none other than her mother._

"_Mother!" Minako smiled widely and went to hug her beloved mother. Queen … hugged her daughter back and kept repeating her name over and over again like there was no other day._

"_My Minako… Oh my Minako, I miss you so much"_

"_I'm here, mother… I'm always here like you promise me you will always be there for me, mother"_

_Minako was so indulged in the hug that she failed to notice the awkward silence and the growing coldness around her. The queen's face had changed from overjoyed to saddened and finally, she said, "I'm sorry, my dear… I'm really sorry, please forgive me"_

"_Why you say-", suddenly, her hug was loosen up. Her mother was gone out of the thin air. Minako looked around, trying to find her mother again. "Mother? Mother? Where are you mother? Mother?" _

"Mother!" Awaken from her dream, Minako looked around and only found herself in the darkness of her room, not in the same darkness in the cold place as before. It was only a dream.

She was surprised by the movement beside her and relieved when she discovered that it was Reiko sleeping beside her. She smiled as she stared at the sleeping child but then her mind was forced back to the dream she just had. Again, she felt the same pain all over again. She could not help it and Minako cried instantly.

Minako was devastated. As time passed by, sadness and sorrow were just engulfing her crushed heart even more. She could not handle the grief and it was not something that she could share to anyone. She knew that it was a matter of time before she went to destroy herself from the inside. But the pain was too great and destroying herself was not enough for her. Only one way that Minako found to convey her pain which was turning it into hatred and the only one she blamed for everything was to Rei.

The thought of the raven woman brought Minako back to the short moment they spent together. Somehow, behind those angry and grief façade, something else in Minako came alive. It was not the same warmth that she felt when she was with Reiko and it was not the same peacefulness she had when she was with her friends. There was more to it.

The blond buried herself in her pillow, and with hoarse voice, she whispered the only name that she truly hated yet loved so much. "Rei"

Suddenly, a burst of cold wind blew towards Minako's long blond hair and steps were heard arriving by the window. It alerted the Venusian princess right away, "W-who's there?"

Darkness surrounded the huge room and the movement was unheard. But Minako felt the presence of the third person inside the room. She had never been afraid of anything but now; she felt it, the fear. She felt so weak that she could not even move nor shout for help. Whether it was the darkness or the crying, whichever it was had somehow made the blond so vulnerable.

"Are you crying?"

The voice struck Minako in astonishment. When the clouds shifted away from the Moon, the Moonlight shone through the window and managed to highlight the figure's slender body and hair as long as Minako's but darker color. The blond was in denial but she knew that she was not mistaken.

After a short silence, the figure finally made a move and went to the bed where Minako and Reiko were. The princess did not move but it was not out of fear. It was not frightened her any longer, instead, it made her curious. The closer the figure got, the more poundings her heart got. She knew what is coming to her.

Slender fingers touched her right cheek and Minako felt the warm palm of the 'stranger' hand rest upon her jaw while the thumb caressed her eye softly, wiping away her tears. Minako did not need any light to tell her with whom she was facing against with. She sought her hands around the culprit of the night and pulled the slender figure down for a kiss.

This time, Minako knew it was not a dream. The kiss was real. No one or not even a good dream could challenge such passionate kiss by the Martian princess.

**Author's note:**

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

I'm sorry everyone for the (really) long delay T_T It was really the worse writer's block EVER! Every time I looked at this chapter, I seriously had nothing came up to my mind, it was very stressing! I hope you can forgive me! I'll write the next chapter soon! Thanks guys for all your support!


	13. Chapter 13: Lies

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 13: Lies**

-**Day 3 Month 3 Year 444: Nouveau Aino City **-

The bright day just ended in a blink of the eye with the twilight giving its final light for another hundred seventy six days before it greets the sun once again. The sky was dark as night and while waiting for another dawn lights were decorated across the city, and along with the Moonlight replaced the bright sun. Once time for the city to deeply slumber, the lights were turned off leaving the Moon alone in the darkness.

Soon enough, the city lights would be turned on but it was too soon for the two lovers awakened from their own little world, a world where only the two of them exist and a world where nothing else matters. They sat by the window's seal where Rei snuck in from, enjoying each other caresses, smelled each other fragrance and shared a kiss or two. Their minds only plagued by no one else but each other and eyes never left each other intense gaze. Their gaze broke when Minako circled her arms around the Martian's neck and pressed their body against each other with one lips pursued the other for the hundredth time. With only one kiss, they felt the surge of excitement and their mind only wished to be all over each other, naked. But before the pleasure took over them completely, one or the other would force them to break apart.

"W-we should stop this", Minako said out of breath.

"I-I think so…" Rei responded as breathless as her partner. Instead pulling away from each other, Rei jumped forward to capture the other lips again and Minako did not complain.

Pushing Minako down to the cold marble floor, the kiss deepened as Rei's hand swam down to pull Minako's long leg and then traced up along her thighs, lifting the blond's nightgown to reveal her long leg. Minako's hands were not less innocent as they had breached every single layer of the raven's clothes and pulling them up to show Rei's slender waist. Together, they were heated it up in the moment until…

"Snake…"

Both adults looked up and froze in their current position. They saw a bundle covered in blanket, moving unruly on the bed. It turned around and the blanket flapped open. Both blushed in embarrassment since they had forgotten the very reason why they should not do 'it'.

Reiko was sleeping contentedly with mouth half-open, drooling and sleep-talking, "Yumm… sneak… meat… yumm…"

Rei and Minako laughed quietly and finally they pulled away from each other.

"You teach her bad habit, don't you?" Minako whispered.

"Which one? The snake or the sleep-talking?" Rei answered in the same manner.

"Both"

"I swear to you that I don't know she is a talker while sleeping but snake meat is a delicacy in Mars and it tastes really nice"

"Stop it! You know I hate snake"

"I know", the raven giggled and went to hug Minako. The blond gave a little grunt but surrender and encircled her arms around Rei's waist. Hours passed by but felt like only a second. The moment was interrupted when few lights was turned on at some part of the city. It only meant one thing. "It's morning already, I suppose"

Minako did not answer. She kept quiet for a few second before she replied, "I… want to stay like this for a while… Can I?"

Looking down at the blond's head resting against her chest, Rei smiled.

"Of course", the raven agreed to Minako's request. Although Rei did not see it, she knew the blond was smiling. The city lights began to turn on more and more until the whole city was covered in the dimmed light. "How can you live here? 126 days before the next sunrise? That's really a long night"

"You said exactly the same thing when your first came visiting this place"

"Really?"

"Yes, I remember correctly and at the time, you got cold right away and ended up staying in bed the whole time"

"Hmm… Can't remember"

"Anyway, you should see how beautiful Venus at night. The parade, the city light, everything is wonderful! I'll bring you and Reiko to the Greet the night parade today-" Minako suddenly stopped in the middle of the sentence. No more words were shared between them and somehow the situation was becoming awkward. But it did not surprised Rei at all.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The raven asked.

"Tell you what?" Minako questioned back with hesitation.

"That you are getting married, today precisely"

The straight answer did not surprise Minako even a little. Instead, she pushed herself away from the raven and gave a cold reply without looking at the Martian. "It's none of your business"

Before Minako managed to escape even further, Rei captured her arm and pulled it, forcing the blond to look at her. In that moment, she saw the confusion and anger in her baby blue eyes. "I just want you to tell me about it"

They were staring at each other, lost in their own thoughts. Minako was astonished. She was not expecting such confession from the raven but, it was not for long before the blond broke the eye contact and pulled her arm away in anger. "So what, Rei? Do you think you can stop my father from marrying me to Elliros? I've been engaged to him ever since I was born and you"

"Elliros? That guy? You never told me back then that you were engaged!" The raven responded in the same manner as Minako as she was infuriated by the situation.

"It doesn't matter whether I tell you or not!"

"It does matter! I love you Minako! After all these years, the feeling never left my mind. I want you to trust me"

"Then, why didn't you tell me about Mineru?"

Hearing the familiar name struck Rei into silence. The raven was surprised yet she knew that someday Minako would know about Mineru and she could not lie to her. "Reiko told you?"

"Yes…"

Silence again. Rei had got absolutely nothing to say. She did not want to lie but she did not know where to start telling the truth. She wanted to apologize but she knew it was not going to solve the problem.

"Minako, please, let me explain-"

"Are you scared that Mineru will find out about us? Or you afraid that I will find out that I'm the girl you cheating with?"

As much as she wanted to deny or explain Minako everything but her lips betrayed her. Another silence haunted her.

"How could I know that you will never leave me for this woman, Rei? Leaving me in misery for seven years and now you are asking me to trust you? Answer me Rei!"

"Mina, I chose to leave not because I want to-"

"Why then?" Minako's anger slowly disappeared seeing the lack of response from the raven. Growing desperate, the blond could not take it anymore. "Forget that I even asked. I'm tired of all this"

"I'm sorry", it was the only setence Rei could think of but still, it would not sataisfied Minako.

"I don't care anymore. Whether you told me or not, it will not change the fact that you weren't there for me these past seven years... although… although you said you love me but you've found someone else. I guess we all just have to move on. What's in the past is just… a past. Maybe… What we had was just a fling"

"No! It was not-"

"Then why did you leave the other day?"

"I… I had my own reason… But I came back"

"That's not a reason, Rei! Tell me! Why did you disappear seven years ago? Why you disappeared for a week? What happened in Moon?"

"I… can't"

"Why?"

"It's my problem and I don't want to involve you", or rather she did not want Minako to know. Rei's troubled face did not escape the blond and the secrecy was just killing her.

"How could you expect me to trust you when you don't even tell me the truth?" Too occupied in her own anger, Minako did not even wait for another explanation. She did not have the heart to hear Rei any longer and only left the raven with one choice. "Maybe you should leave for REAL this time, Rei"

"Minako-"

"GO AWAY!"

Rei just had enough. Tired of being cornered, the raven went berserk. Minako might have overestimated her patience and.

"I'm NOT leaving!" Rei burst out, expressing her displeasure.

"What do you want Rei?" Minako replied with the same manner. Rei's stubborness irritated the blond and she could not help but enraged even more. "Do you want to make my life more miserable? Next time, you could have done it to me! You could have cheated on me and- and gone sleeping with Usagi!"

"Don't drag Usagi into this!"

"I knew it! You've always been on her side! Why don't you just go to her and stop bothering me! She could be an easy target for you because she loves you and you're just going to use her like me to satisfy yourself! Maybe you've planned it already and laughing how stupid I was for trusting you!"

The raven was fed up and words were burst from her in angry rush. "Stop saying all non-sense things! This is nothing to do with Usagi and I'm sick of you saying her name over and over again! This is between ME and YOU! I love YOU, Minako! I kissed Usagi but I could not stop thinking about you!"

The argument ended with a dead silence. Both went speechless for different reasons; one was for her stupidity and the other was for one's ultimate betrayal. Rei just could not look at Minako anymore. She had dug her own grave deep enough to make sure she would stay in hell forever.

"What?" Minako managed to response first. The tone in her voice was not pleasant at all.

"Minako, it's not like what you think of-"

The blond did not listen to the raven. She had only one thing in mind. "You… kissed Usagi?"

"It-it was nothing!"

"Then tell me something! Tell me the truth, Rei!"

Rei was aghast, not knowing what to do. There was no other way to explain it better than telling her what it is. "Yes, we kissed but only kiss, that's it!"

"When?"

"Please don't make do this", Rei was hesitated.

"WHEN?" The blond barked, showing her rage.

It was not long before Rei surrender and spilled it. "Right after the fight in the bar…"

Upon hearing it, Minako's face had changed, looking shocked and disgusted. She looked at Rei, not with the same rage she had before, it was inexplicable anger and even worse. "You had sex with me right after you were with another woman the day before?"

"It was only a kiss!"

"Leave", Rei looked up and saw the bitter look Minako gave her. With pain in her voice, the blond made it clear again of what she wanted. "I mean it. LEAVE!"

The raven had nothing to say and would not argue even further. But she did not leave yet. "I… will leave. But I want to wait until Reiko awake"

The blond looked surprise and the bitterness in her eyes had changed to worrisome. "Y-you're going to take her"

"Yes… I promise her to bring her back and I intend to fulfill that promise"

Rather than grateful, Minako was displeased about it. "You left her before and now, how could you appear and planning to take her away?"

"I know my mistake! Do you think I never thought about what I did to the people I love and the sin I've done? I'm a person too, Mina! It pained me every second of my life and I want to fix it! And it will start from bringing Reiko"

"You're just using her to seek redemption for yourselves!"

"I'm not using her! Only a hypocrite like you thinks that way"

"You ARE using her! If you want to fix it, deal with the problem, not running away from it!"

"I don't want to argue about this. I'm going to take her with me"

When the raven was going to head off to the bed where Reiko is sleeping in, Minako quickly stopped her. "You've taken away everything from me and I'm not going to take her as well"

Confused, Rei just looked at the blond in front of her for a moment, trying to digest what she just said. "What are you talking about? She is not yours, Mina, she belongs to her family. Now, move aside-"

"NO!" Minako pushed the raven and broken glass was heard.

Fifty-nine feets and few inches later, loud crash alerted the castle in their early daybreak. The darkness did not prevent the guards to notice such turbulence. Rei opened her eyes and felt like her world revolving around her. She was about to move when she felt incredible pain at her left abdomen. She must have taken the blow from the dive while protecting Minako. Then, she heard steps coming towards them and guards appeared, surrounding them.

"Let go of Princess Amadore, you Martian beast!"

It would only take Rei a minute, even less, to wipe up the dozen of guards. But she saw the fear in their eyes and she knew that she could not harm them even if she wants to. Carefully, the raven placed Minako on the ground as she noticed the blond stirred a little, almost gaining consciousness. Right after, the raven pulled back, walking away from the princess, two guards were approaching her and arrested her.

Another step was heard but this time, it was heavier and slower than the others, slowly approaching the crowd. Rei looked ahead and noticed another guard came, alone. She saw a man in his well suit armor and blond hair well combed. The man smiled gloriously to her as if he has won a battle but what disturbing Rei the most was his eyes, it was cold and malicious. "Finally, I'm able to meet the infamous Princess of Mars"

The raven disliked the man already and hearing the arrogance in his voice just added it even more.

"Elliros, is it? Seems you've expected me", Rei answered, clearly challenging the Venusian commander.

"Pardon?"

"Seems you are well dress in this early of the day as if you would have known that I'm coming"

For a moment, Elliros stared cautiously at the raven and spoke with little amazement. "As I expected from the heir of the Martian kingdom, your instict could never been doubted. Too bad that now you are as fool as your people to choose to walk to your own death"

"Not as fool as your Venusian guards who can't even catch one 'foolish' Martian in their own backyard", Rei managed to mock back and she could see the resentment in the man's eyes..

Instead of drawing his sword and sliced the Martian throat, the blond man went closer and whispered to Rei's ear. "I want to see how you are going to keep your cockiness when I laid my hand on Minako tonight"

The words astounded the raven . Rei's coolness disappeared and her amethyst eyes were gazing at Elliros with anger. If the two guards had not held her with all their might, she would have jumped to the man and cut the life out of him. "Don't you even dare to touch her!"

"I'm the rightful husband of her and of course, I've duties to fulfill"

Blood continued to rush up to the raven's head and the man just infuriated Rei even more. He could read what her weak point is and it was just something that Rei could not even share with anyone when it comes to Minako. "I'm going to kill you"

"Kill me? Are you going to 'kill' me like what you did seven years ago?"

This time, Rei was surprised that her anger suddenly faded, leaving her breaking in cold sweat. "W-what? H-how-"

"I know everything about it, Princess Arestha and I'm sure that you are trying to hide it from Minako. She must be devastated to know the truth"

"Don't act as if you know everything! You know nothing!" Rei spatted.

"Tch, tch, Minako won't like it to see the 'real' you rampaging her kingdom again. Beside what would she think if you kill her husband-to-be?"

"Don't make me laugh! What do you think made you know her better than I am?"

"Because I know something about Minako that you don't", another victorious yet wicked smile was regained. Elliros was very pleased seeing the puzzled expression on Rei's face.

"You're lying"

"In fact, I'm not. Right after you disappeared seven years ago, Minako was-"

"Stop it, Elliros", Minako barked as she had been silently watching the two interacting for quite long time. Elliros was not least surprise that the princess would awaken soon but not for Rei.

"Finally you have awaken Minako-"

"Don't you dare to call me that and you have no right to even involve in my past!"

"Mina, what is he talking about?" Rei asked desperately in hoping to get spme answer.

"It's none of your business. You have your own thing to keep to yourself and I've got mine", Minako looked away from Rei's gaze and glared at Elliros. "What are you waiting for? I think we have kept the chit-chat longer than it should be"

"As you wish, 'Princess'. Guards, bring her away!"

"You have no right to arrest me!"

"Unfortunately, yes, we have. Arestha XII Rei Mars, you have been charged with the accounts of trespassing the Venusian court and responsible for the murder of thousands of Venusian lives seven years ago. As well as injuring and killing another fifteen guards in Moon"

Rei was surprised and stared at Minako. "You… knew about this?"

The blond princess said nothing.

"You set me up", the raven said in mix tone, shock and betrayed.

"It seems you did not disagree which mean you declare yourself guilty then?" Elliros cut in with the same self-righteous smile he had been keeping.

"I didn't do anything in the Moon", Rei defended.

"Silent! We have witnesses who saw you on the scene in the Tsuki No Palace and as well as the incident in Aino City. The woman said you massacre the whole city and burned them down and the same burn marks were found in both incidents", the statement caused a stir between the guards. Some drove by hatred and were looking for revenge from what happened to their home and the other scared by the fact that one person could burn down the whole city in one night. Either reason, they all tightened their hands on their weapon while waiting for their commander's next order. Elliros smiled as he saw the mix response and finally placed his last order. "Therefore, by the law of the kingdom of Venus, you will be sentenced to death. Until further noticed, you will be exiled to the underground"

"Move on!" The guard pushed Rei forward but the raven did not fight back. She looked as defeated as a man filled with guilt.

"W-wait!" Minako stopped the guards and ran to face Rei. This time, the raven looked away, did not dare to stare at the Venusian princess. "Rei, look at me!"

"It's an order! Look at her", one of the guard ordered as he slapped Rei on the face.

"Stop it! I did not order you to slap her!" Minako shouted angrily and the guard did not even dare to raise his hand again. The blond looked again at the helpless Martian and this time, she got Rei's full attention. "Did you do it, Rei?"

Staring at the amethyst eyes, Minako felt the honest stares with no struggle or disagreement and realized how much pain inside them. The stare was the only answer Rei gave. Before she was taken away, only one thing she asked from Minako. "Please, take care of Reiko"

The message left Minako confused and completely lost for some reason. All the evidences and convictions felt so wrong but she could not tell why.

Waiting until all the guards disappeared; Minako turned to see Elliros and began to question him. "Giving a death verdict will be a little too fast, isn't it? Aren't we supposed to present her at the Galactical Supreme Court since she is inter-planetary prisoner? Beside we should investigate the eye-witness and why she testified after seven years?"

Elliros approached Minako and slipped his hand around her waist. "What's the point? She did not argue which mean she admitted it. Now, we all can rest in peace and have our wedding properly"

Minako pushed away the blond man, staring at him in disgust. "Don't touch me!'

Then, his eyes turned intimidating and his voice sounded rougher. "Enjoy every last moment of your freedom, Princess. Whether you like it or not, you will be mine tonight"

It sent chill to Minako and for the first time, she was scared towards this man. Then, she ran away.

Covered with mask, Rei was sightless. She did not know how long she had been walking or how many steps she had been taking. All she knew was the long-painful sensation from her broken ribs and her heavy panting with so little air to breathe. The two guards beside her did not even notice or care and continued carrying her to their destination. But it did not bother her much since her mind was somewhere else.

It was only matter of time before Rei would greet an old acquaintance who had haunted her for many years, the one who was responsible for taking her mother away and took the life of millions of Venusian. It was the death. But this time it was not others life to be taken. It was hers.

In Rei's mind, she could not think how often she had met with death. She should have died long time where her life was already on the line but she did not die. She should have killed herself in the ruin of Aino City seven years ago but she did not choose to die. By twist of fate, she must end her life in here and she could not help but sarcastically laugh at herself. Why did not she die before? Why did not she end her life?

Then, her mind flashed back to that fateful day.

_**-Flashback Year 437: Aino City-**_

_In the heat of the fire and drenched in people's blood, between the debris and lifeless human bodies, Rei stood there as she had her flaming arrow and bow ready. She looked at the woman with dark skin and long dark green hair with confusion and hesitation. The mysterious aura around this woman was intimidating but it was not as dangerous as her gloomy maroon eyes._

"_W-who are you?"_

"_I'm an unknown, undefined in this world. In time, you will know who I am", the woman said in flat-emotionless tone._

"_W-what do you want from me?"_

"_Arestha Rei Mars, the descendant of the Kingdom of Mars, avatar of Ares, your destiny is far greater than this misfortune and you should not ended yourself now"_

_Rei looked at the woman surprised and puzzled. "What are you talking about?"_

"_The fate of the world lies on your hand"_

_Upon hearing it, the raven went berserk. "Are you blind? Don't you see around you? How could I protect this world when my hands already have stained by blood!"_

"_Don't be deceived, Princess of Mars. Believe in yourself. Deep down in your heart, you know what is right and what is wrong"_

"_I don't understand…"_

"_It's not the time yet… You will figure it out"_

_Before Rei could ask another question, suddenly a storm of sand emerged out of nowhere and washed everything on its way._

_**End Flashback**_

That woman disappeared right away without even giving any explanation to her and before she knew it, she went unconscious right after. When she woke up, she was already in Earth and Mineru was already next to her, tending her wound. She did not know how she got there but she did not even bother to find out. She chose to forget her past and live a new life but she never forgot that mysterious woman's words.

The loud crack startled her and the change in pace made her steps a little sluggish on the mossy floor. The smelled of the dampness and dead rat crawled into her nose. For instance, she was sure they were entering the underground already and she thought the time was near. Doom was her only fate.

Scream was heard from behind them. It came from one of the guards.

"W-what happen- AAAAARG!" The guard on her left was no longer holding her as she heard his body hit the ground. The other guard on her right side followed and Rei could feel the motionless bodies on her feet.

All of a sudden, Rei was thrown to one side of the cold stone. Not knowing what was happening, she could only hear more screams and fighting yells. By the time all the voices had vanished, the raven could feel two presences standing still in the quietness. As they began to walk closer, Rei noticed that they were not the guards since they had different steps from the bulky soldiers. Their steps were lighter and somewhat elegant in pace.

"Rei?"

The voice struck the raven's mind. It sounded familiar to Rei but she could not remember whom it belongs to.

"Who are you?"

Rei jerked as her mask was roughly pulled up. Once again, she felt the breeze of oxygen caressing her hot-sweaty face and the reeking smell of dampness crawled to her nose. When she opened her eyes, only blurry images came to her sight. The temporary blindness gave her a hard time to see things clearly and the dark underground was not helping. While recovering her sight, she could see the two figures in black robe but they seemed neither making movement nor talking. When they lifted down their hood, Rei could see the tallest among the two had straight long hair while the other black hair and somewhat curly. She still could not figure their face but hazily, the amethyst eyes caught in a shiny familiar mark on their forehead.

Minako did not stop running until she reached her room. She entered the room quickly and slammed the door behind her. Upset and bewildered, she fell to floor, losing the strenght to stand as everything in her world began to crumble. Tears slowly filled the emotional blue eyes and it was all because of the raven. She blamed Rei for appearing in front of her again after she had been abandoned seven years ago and she should have never been involved with someone whom had breaking her heart once. How fool she was to fall into her trap, a trap called love. She hated Rei for making her heart in pain. However, as much anger and hatred she had, still her tears kept falling and she hated it. She felt so weak, so vulnerable. She did not want to go back to pathetic-self of her.

The door suddenly opened by itself, startle Minako and saw Alystair showed up behind the door.

"F-father?" The cry stopped immediately but the elderly man could see the puffy red eyes and the hoarse voice.

"I came in since you didn't hear me knocking", the man said apologetically. He continued to observe the blond with worry. "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright to you?" Minako replied sarcastically. Her ego did not want to show this side to anyone, even to her father. Quickly, she got up and wiped her teary eyes. "What do you want father? I really don't want to argue with you right now"

"Neither am I… I knew what happened and I wish I could do something to ease your pain"

"Then, go away. Leave me alone", Minako replied as she threw her face away from the man but Alystair was not upset by the cold respond. Instead, he closed the door behind him, giving both of them more privacy to talk as father and daughter.

"Minako, I know I've been not fair with you but what I want is to protect you and to make sure you don't get hurt again like I promise your mother to. I really thought that Elliros is the right man for you, at least, I want you to be the next Queen of Venus just like your mother wanted", Minako did not reply and kept silent. Her face was somewhat troubled but did not show anger. Alystair signed as he got not respond and continued. "I'm sorry, Minako. If you still don't want this wedding, I will call it off-"

"No, father", Minako stopped the man all of the sudden. She turned around and looked at him with determination. "The wedding will still on"

Surprised at Minako sudden decision, it was Alystair turned to look troubled. "Are you sure? I thought you don't even love Elliros?"

One word just stung Minako deep inside and the pain was still fresh in her heart. But she would not let the pain taking over her and she would not let such weakness to surface on the face of the new Queen of Venus. "There is no such thing as love. Love is only full of deceit. When you are falling in love, it means you are weak. I don't like Elliros but backing away willl show that I'm weak. All this time, they only see me a good-for-nothing Princess of Venus and I'll proof them wrong! I'll marry him and I'll have my throne, then I'll show him who is the right ruler of this kingdom"

King Alystair looked at his daughter and gave a small smile, "Whatever makes you happy, Minako. I just want you to know that you are not alone. I'm here for you"

Minako smiled back and went to hug her father. "Thank you, father"

He pulled away and still smiling at her. "Then, you must get ready"

The blond woman nodded and Alystair walked away towards the door.

When the Alystair had left the room, Minako turned around and walked towards the broken window where she and Rei were these morning. The day was dark and the city lights were at its maximum to enlighten the city in the dark. Just like those lights, Minako vowed to be stronger and to become a great queen so she could lead her people out of the darkness. That was her only mission in life. Whether she felt the anger towards her people whom she accused as the cause of her mother's death but she would not let her personal feelings in her way. She only needed to be a queen. She did not need love. Love is only a lie.

Then, it came to Minako's attention that the room was in complete silent but somehow too quiet, no hint of serene breathing or movement from the bed. She turned around and headed for the bed but no one was there. She pulled away the blanket and only showed empty white bed sheet. Minako was in horror.

"R-Reiko?"

**Author's note:**

What will happen next? XD

Sorry if it's not a very happy chapter but I hope you guys enjoy it! I tried to write it as fast as I can, so it's in time for xmas!

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year everybody! See you next year!


	14. Chapter 14: Reunion

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 14: Reunion**

-**Day 3 Month 3 Year 444: Aino Castle, Nouveau Aino City **-

It was only 15 hours away from the last sunset and within those hours, the news of the captured and then mysteriously disappeared Martian Princess had spread throughout Venus. Despite the commotion the Venusian were barely disturbed by the news since their attention was caught on the wedding of Princess Amadore Minako Venus.

Inside the Aino Castle, people were busy decorating the place and it looked more sparkling than during the usual high noon. Dinner would be held at the dining hall and by now, the room had already filled with beautiful flowers, long tables with white tablecloth and spotless silverwares, and piles of wine bottles. Then, there was the great hall. The tall ceiling place never looked so divine. It was where the main event of the day will be taking place, the ceremony.

The bustling stopped when two men, one has blond hair and the other was blond as well but lighter, almost white entered the dining hall. They noticed it was Commander Elliros and the King and quickly bowed but the two seem not paying any attention to them. Their steps were hasty while talking in hostility manner especially for the young Commander.

"But My Lord-", Elliros' sudden raising tone was cut short by the King sharp voice.

"Your voice, Elliros", Alystair said without even turning his eyes to the commander.

Elliros just noticed where they were and cleared his throat before continued the conversation in softer voice, "Pardon me, My Lord"

When they were stepping out of the crowd into the lonesome corridor, the elderly blond spoke, "Have our guards search the perimeter, I'm sure whoever did this should not be far"

"But My Lord, who else could have done it if it was not Princess Arestha?"

"The timeline was not right, Elliros. It could be someone else..."

"But who could it be? We haven't heard or detected anyone..."

"Get a grip, Elliros! You will be a king someday and a king must not worrying his people"

"I apologized, My Lord ", they continued walking quietly, thinking in silence before suddenly, Elliros spoke again." My Lord, it could be one thing..."

"What is it?"

"Recently, I have been reported that there is an unknown activity by the wood and some villagers are disturbed by it"

"What kind of disturbance?" The king waited for an answer but nothing came out of Elliros's mouth. The young lad looked somewhat hesitant but Alystair had no patient to wait. "Just tell me already what the disturbances were?"

"Some villagers… happened to be hypnotized"

"Hypnotized?"

"And something happened when they gained consciousness"

"What happened? I don't have time for this"

"Well, either their clothes were missing or burnt, some were tied upside down by the tree, weird facial hair-"

"What? Facial hair?"

"Yes, My Lord. This one woman somehow outgrown her facial hair to impossible length"

"For Aphrodite's sake, Elliros. It's sound like a prank rather than anything threatening"

"But My Lord, they were also reporting that their plantations were cropped with weird marks or houses were flooded all of the sudden"

"How could all of these related?"

"In their statement, they all said that the only thing they could recalled right before the incident was seeing red, blue, yellow or green light", when he finished explaining, Elliros was not so sure if he did the right thing exposing the matter since Alystair was no longer responding and kept walking quietly. "Forgive me for my lack of judgment, My Lord, I thought the kidnap could be one of their pranks..."

Alystair suddenly stopped in his track and turned around. His face was calm but inside, he was less than happy. "Pranks or not, it's YOUR job to find out, understood?"

"Yes, My Lord", Elliros said as he looked down in defeat.

The King turned back and continued walking again. Elliros followed quietly at his back, not daring to spill anymore words until Alystair started to talk again in much calmer tone. "Can I trust you, Elliros?"

Elliros looked up right away, staring at the back of the man who was walking in front of him. He was surprised by the question and warily answered him. "You can trust me, My Lord"

"I'll leave everything in your hand and take care of Minako"

"I will not disappoint you, My Lord"

Alystair said nothing else and proceed to his destination as he waived his hand toward Elliros, signing the young man had been dismissed. The commander gave his last bow before headed back to where he came.

When the corridor was already empty, suddenly the torches by the corridor were moving by the gust of a moving object. A floating red ball came out of nowhere went through the window and disappeared into the dark sky.

-c-

_Reiko was leaned by the wall, staring onto the ground. When she noticed steps coming towards her, the blond girl looked up and her gaze moved to Minako right away. She left her spot and went to approach the Venusian princess. Reiko stopped in front of Minako and looked at her in the eyes. "You're leaving?"_

_The simple question was felt so hard to answer especially when Minako noticed the disappointment in the girl's voice. "Yes… I have to"_

"_Why?"_

"_There is something I must do in Venus"_

"_Is it because of what Rei-chan did?"_

_Surprised. Minako did not expect to hear the name mentioned by Reiko. "Who told you that?"_

"_I heard… people were talking about Rei-chan. Minako, do you think Rei-chan really did it?"_

"_I… I really don't know, Reiko", it was the only answer Minako could think of. _

_The Venusian did not want to lose herself in the thoughts of what is right or wrong. She had been there before and never again to step into it again. Seven years ago when they thought the raven left them, it distressed not only her but also the others. No one could ever forget the pain of betrayal even for Minako but what was worse when they learned of her death in Venus. Usagi was crying endlessly, Ami just spent her time in the library, and Makoto went for crazy hours of training, beat herself up after couple of weeks. As for Minako, she spent her time locking herself up in her room for as long as she could remember. All her days were consumed with the thoughts of Rei; her lies, their love, pain of betrayal and death. If it had not because of Usagi and the others decided to break into her room, she might have been dead. It was not the hunger or the thirst that was killing her, it was her mind. _

"_Minako… Rei-chan is not bad"_

"_Reiko…" Minako was speechless. She could not think of any way explaining to a six-years-old about all her pain and how cruel reality could be._

"_I-if we tell people that Rei-chan is not bad, Rei-chan might come back, right?"_

"_I don't know, Reiko, I just don't know!" Minako realized she had raised her voice a little too harsh, silencing the little girl right away. The blond was in the mid of confusion. It was hard for her to swallow the truth behind Rei's disappearance and now, she had to leave the Moon, leaving all her friends. "I'm sorry… I really don't know how to explain to you because I can't explain it to myself as well. It's complicated"_

"_But I trust Rei-chan"_

"_You don't know that"_

"_I just knew it… Because my heart said so", Reiko looked at Minako while placed her hand on her chest. "Rei-chan taught me that"_

_It was naïve and irrational answer but Minako said nothing. She just decided it was time for her to leave. "Reiko… Just stay here and be a good girl, okay?"_

_The blond walked away but stopped when she heard sobbing from behind. How could she leave a lonely child by herself? No one could understand the feeling of being lonely better than Minako herself and to imagine a child going through it is just unthinkable. Betrayal is not easy to understand and it will scare anyone for life, a pain that Reiko had not yet understand. Minako could not leave the girl._

_Suddenly, the sobbing stopped. It was very quiet. When Minako turned around, Reiko was gone. The Venusian princess looked around again in hoping to find the little girl._

"_Reiko! Where are you, Reiko? Reiko!"_

_After her search around the area, she turned towards the door to exit the room. Once she passed it, all of the sudden, the bedroom scene swirled around. She felt like she was drowned into a whirlpool and images appeared one after another, spinning around her. She recognized some of the images and one of them was when Minako and Reiko was in market where it was the first time they get to know each other._

_The random images continued repeatedly and then, she noticed another image where the two of them with Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Rei, they were all having dinner together and everybody was laughing, including her. They looked never been happier. Minako smiled at the image._

_But the warm feeling began to disappear as the images grew darker and darker. Suddenly, it was no longer shuffled and Minako stood in what appears to be a dim room. Only the burning wood by the fireplace was the source of the light and the sound of cracking fire was the lone silent breaker until… _

"_Mama… Mama!"_

_Minako was startled by the voice but what surprised her even more was how awfully familiar it was. She walked to where the voice came, and along the way, she bumped into table with used tea cups spread on it, untidy chairs and armchair with unruly blanket lied by the fireplace. She came across other furniture and couldn't help feeling the familiarity. Then, she found the bed. She saw something or rather someone was moving on the bed._

"_H-hello?"_

_No response._

"_W-where am I?"_

_Still, no answer. Minako suspected that whoever it was could have fallen asleep again or was just sleep-talking. But her curiosity was not just stopped like that and continued to approach her subject. It was apparent that the figure was slender and the long hair signified a woman. But her eyes drifted away from the figure when she saw something. On top of the bedside table, there was a photo frame. But what really glued her eyes was the person inside them. She took the photo and looked at it closely, afraid she could be mistaken because of the darkness. But she was not mistaken._

_It was the photo of a young blond girl with far-less elderly Alystair and a beautiful blond woman which Minako recognized as her mother, the late Queen Annako. She recognized the photo right away. She remembered it very well since it was the photo that she had kept for years by her bedside table. It reminded Minako of how the mother and daughter different from one and another. They were nothing alike except their blond hair. But what surprised her was the quite resemblance of her younger self with Reiko._

_The blond just stood there by the bed. It came clear to her that it was her room and she almost did not recognize it. She noticed a little change on the arrangement of her furniture but not so much. She took a walk around the room, reminisce what she had inside. It looked the same, smelled the same and felt the same. As she touched one by one ornament she found along her way, she began to recall memories in each of them. _

_On top of her desk, there was collection of seashells that she gathered during her trip to Neptune. It was the first time ever she discovered sea and met Princess Amphitrite Michiru Neptune, princess of the Neptunian, and Princess Uranus XXV or whom she wants to be called 'Haruka', the heir of the oldest kingdom in the history of Moon Alliance. It was unforgettable meeting. Then, she came around a beautiful flower vase made of clay. It was a gift from Makoto when she went back to Jupiter. She saw the flowers in the vase and could not think of anyone else who could be so diligent to replace them every day if it was not the Jovian herself and her love of flowers. She came across a cabinet full of beautiful dolls that she and Usagi collected together and next to it, a tall bookcase stood filling with variety of books but none of the book purchased by her and neither had she the time to read them. All of them were gift from Ami which the blond accepted willingly after long lecture of 'knowledge is power'. Nonetheless, she still kept them neat and tidy. As she looked through the books collection from history, literature, science, social studies and many others, a distinguished orange book caught her attention. She took it and to her amazement it was her diary. She had forgotten about it. She used to write everything in it and never missed a day. She could not remember the last time she wrote inside. When she opened it, something fell from the pages. Minako went to pick up the falling item and found a flat rectangular bag with the size of half her palm. It was O-Mamori, a protective charm that Rei gave her long time ago. She used to cherish it and always carrying it with her all the time until she decided to bury it inside her dairy._

_After all these years, Minako just realized what she had given up. She had almost or maybe completely forgotten those memories in each and every ornament. Every single ornament in this room had given meaning to her life and they were just forgotten. Nothing had changed in this room. It was her who has changed. The day she refused to look at the world she lived in it became the time when she stopped noticing anything else but herself, her own pain, her own ego, her own selfishness._

_Her nostalgic moment ended when she heard steps from across the room. She turned to see the approaching steps and she gasped at whom she saw. _

"_It… can't be…" In the dimmed room, Minako saw a woman walked in. She had long blond hair and dressed in black robe with her hood left fall on her shoulder. Even in the dark, the Venusian recognized the woman right away and was left astound in her spot. "M-mama…"_

_Annako kept walking as if she did not hear the call. Then, she stopped next to the bed where Minako stood before when she found their family photo on the bedside table. _

"_Mama!" Minako went to her mother right away, calling her endlessly although received no reply. She had not used the word 'mama' ever since her mother gone but it did not felt awkward or anything. It just felt right. _

_But to the princess surprise, she could not touch her mother. She was confused when her hand went through Annako. She tried to grab her again but it was the same. Everything that Minako tried went unnoticed and the late queen just stood still with her eyes stared at the figure lies on the bed. Minako's eyes climbed onto the bed and could not believe what she saw. The princess was staring at her own body lies asleep under the warm blanket. She looked exactly like her but only few years younger._

_Minako realized she was dreaming. Although it was just a dream, everything she saw, touch, felt was real to her, so real that she could believe that her mother is alive again. Her blue eyes began to swell up with tears. She would never think of seeing her mother again, not even in her dream. Yet, she felt content and pained at same time. She missed her mother so much but everything about her brought back every pain of her past. _

_The reminiscence disturbed when Annako got herself bent forward to the bed and went to kiss the teenage Minako's forehead. Then, the older Minako heard Annako's soft voice and began recalling the last time she heard her mother's voice. It was the same as the one she remembers but this one was even deeper and sad. _

"_Mama will always love you, Minako", Annako whispered._

_The whisper struck Minako. It was not only the voice that she was recalling. She had heard that whisper. Memories of that night resurfaced. She knew when this dream was. It was the night of Annako disappeared._

_After the short message, Annako stood straight again and gave her last look to the sleeping Minako before she turned around. But she did not leave the room. Instead, she went to a rectangular shape box with vertical bars enclosed sides. It was not far from the bed but Minako did not notice it until few minutes ago. Suddenly, Minako heard the loudness of her own heartbeat and the shaky feeling began to build up. The princess realized it was not just a rectangular shape box. _

_Minako was just few steps away from Annako but somehow the distance felt like million light away. She felt herself began to tremble and her knee felt weak. Tears fell from her eyes and her breath became unsteady. It took a lot of her to find the truth and she wanted to. Unfortunately, her time was up._

_Everything slowly began to disappear along with Annako. _

"_No! No! NOOOOOOOOOO!" Minako ran towards the image of her mother, trying to catch it before disappearing. The last thing Minako remembers was her mother reached out inside the rectangular box and smiling contently._

-c-

Minako was awakened by the loud knocking on the door, surprised and alert at the same time. She looked around for a minute before she remembered that she had fallen asleep while leaning on the dressing table in her room, ready for her wedding. As she gained her consciousness, her mind began to wonder where she had left. The dream bothered her. She had absolute clarity of the dream and she now remembered that on the night her mother disappeared, she went to see Minako. But she did not know what happened after or how she disappeared. Pieces of her past began to resurface, only to arouse her curiosity even more.

The knock on the door continued even louder and Minako almost forgot about it. "C-come in!"

Not long after, Alystair appeared behind the door. He stopped as he made full entrance and saw Minako's lost expression. "Are you okay, Minako? What took you so long?"

"I'm fine, father", Minako answered resolutely, gaining back her solemn attitude. It did not take long before she remembered the missing little girl and her voice changed to worrisome. "Any news about Reiko?"

Alystair stayed quiet, implying the unsuccessful search. Understanding the unspoken message, Minako just looked down to her dressing table but behind her still solemn façade, worries and guilt came over her.

The king looked through his daughter façade and expressed his regret. "I'm sorry, Minako"

"Don't!" Minako said it sharply. Remorse only made her weaker. She had already enough tears to shed in the morning and she must strengthen herself to fulfill her destiny as queen. But she could not stop worrying Reiko's wellbeing and her anger towards Rei grew. "I'm fine, father. I just need all guards who are not on duty to be called"

"Yes, they have been called", Alystair answered calmly.

"If my calculation is not mistaken, Rei should be around the perimeter. The guards should be able to catch them", Minako added.

"Yes, I know. I have ordered Elliros to do so"

"Once this is all over, I'll join the search-"

"That's enough, Minako", Alystair abruptly stopped the blond, only to be stared back with startled eyes. "I think you have gone overboard"

"Reiko is under responsibility since I brought her to Venus, so OF COURSE I'm going overboard! If it was really Rei who kidnapped her, then we could not just sit here and do nothing!" Minako was a little upset.

"You can't just leave your duty and ran after kidnapper, for Aphrodite's sake! You will be the next queen of Venus! I agree that Rei could be a threat to us but you can't just use these men and sacrifice them for your own muse! We have a kingdom to protect!" Alystair raised his voice but did not lose composure.

Instead of answering in the same manner, Minako fell quiet. She knew that her father was right.

Alystair took his daughter silence as a ceasefire but still, he had not finished. "Why is this 'girl' so important to you?"

The question caught Minako off guard. She looked at the elderly man, confuse. "Why did you mean?"

"You never lose control of yourself. You have always been compose and thorough"

"Maybe I'm just tired"

"Minako…" Alystair took a chair from the side and sat in front of the bride. His expression was calm as always. "It will be a lie if I said that I understand your pain but I did feel that pain. Losing your mother was the hardest thing ever happen to both of us especially for you since you've been through a lot… and I want you to know that I'm still here"

Minako did not say anything back or even stared back to her father. She just sat there and listened.

"It's not easy to lose someone we love but I know that your mother would wish for your happiness. Forget about Rei and whatever happened in the past. It is time to let go and start new. I was worried when you choose to go back to Moon. I don't think you will find your happiness there"

"I have my friends there!" Minako protested.

"I know but I could see that how much pain it brings you as well. That is why I've been insisting you to come back and get married. No one is perfect, even Elliros but what I know you will be happy here in Venus", Alystair smiled and placed his hand on Minako's cheek.

The blond princess looked up when she felt her father's caress and saw the smile. It reminded her of the photo she saw in her dream when two of them and Annako were smiling. The photo has long time gone from her table. Every time she stared at the photo, it always brought back the memory. But that happiness had been lost along with her mother.

The conversation was cut short by another knocking on the door and Minako took the chance to answer.

"Who is it?" Minako called out. She smiled when she saw two of her friends appeared by the door. Ami slowly entered with Usagi peeking behind and both were looking at the other two occupants nervously.

"Well, I will take my leave for now", the elder man stood from his seat and kissed the bride on the forehead before he walked towards the door. Before depart, he stopped in front of the two women and gave his last words. "Excuse my presence, Queen Serenity, Princess Hermione"

Seeing the man disappeared from the room, the two newly arrived women was just looking at each other and then turned to look at Minako. Ami was the first one to ask. "Did we interrupting something?"

"Not at all, come in!" the bride said in much more enthusiasm from before. When the two were approaching, Minako noticed someone was missing. "Where is Makoto?"

As they heard the name, it was clear that Ami was in no mood to respond on the brunette so Usagi volunteered to explain with hesitation. "Um… she is not coming… She had to go back to Jupiter"

"What happened?" Minako was surprised.

"We don't know… She wouldn't tell us. Sorry, Minako…" Usagi added.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's more important than this", Minako said lightly but inside, she could not help feeling a little amiss towards Makoto ever since the encounter with the Kunoichi. But that was not an issue for her. Her mind had something else to worry about. "Did Reiko contact any of you?"

Both Usagi and Ami faces looked surprised although they did expect that Minako brought the topic. They wished that they did not have to do discuss it since it was already hard for the Venusian princess to go through her wedding. At the end, only Ami responded with shaking her head.

Minako gave an ironic chuckle to herself, "I just foolishly wish that she would just run away because she didn't like it here. I'm sorry, Usagi, Ami… I have disappointing you"

"Mina..." Usagi went to embrace the Venusian by the shoulder, trying to cheer her up.

"We will help you search for her after the wedding", Ami added.

A little smile appeared on the Venusian princess' lips but it was not assuring enough to overcome her worries and regret. "I shouldn't bring her here. I should have just left her in Moon…"

After hearing Minako, Usagi grabbed Minako's both shoulder and stared face-to-face with her. The expression on the Lunarian queen was kind. "Minako… Reiko chose to go with you because she trusts you and she knew that you will save her. Do not underestimate yourself. We will find her"

The wise words surprised Minako a little. Sometimes she had forgotten that she was sitting in front of the Queen and leader of the Moon Alliance. She felt her friend had gotten mature day by day, proofing herself more to be a worthy queen. This time, Minako smiled genuinely and replied, "Thank you, Usagi. You are truly a great queen and trustworthy friend"

The words somehow struck Usagi. Only for a minute, Minako could sware that she saw the Lunarian expression was shock and awkward before she gained back her kind smile but her voice was hesitated all of the sudden. "You are most welcome, Mina. Now, let get you ready!"

The bride pushed away her suspicion and just followed Usagi's order. She stood up from her dressing table and her beautiful white gown swaying around when she turned to face her friends. Both bridesmaids were mesmerized by the stunning presence and smiled to the bride.

"You look so beautiful, Minako!" Usagi said excitedly.

"Thank you, Usagi", the bride replied with half-smile. Minako just wished that she could give them her real smile of happiness. They all knew it was never the happy ending that the Venusian princess wanted.

Suddenly, tears fell from the Lunarian queen's eyes. It surprised both Minako and Ami. They went panic and tried to calm Usagi down.

"Usagi, are you okay?" Ami asked while tending by the Queen's side and took her to the sofa. They sat there as Usagi continued crying.

"Why are you crying, Usagi? It's my wedding day and if anyone who should cry, that would be me", Minako said teasingly knowing that for the Venusian bride, the tears would be far from a happy one.

But Usagi did not find it amusing. What was worse, Usagi was not replying anything, only her cry grew louder. It was more like a guilt cry rather than joy.

Both Ami and Minako just looked at Usagi, not knowing what to do. Then, Minako looked at Ami and asked her a favor. "Ami, can you give us some time alone?"

Ami was a little confused by the request but then agreed and rose from her seat. When they were left alone, the blond bride went to approach Usagi in Ami's place and gave her a hug.

"N-no, d-don't do that! Y-your dress will crumple", Usagi said in broken voice

"Let it be. I don't care what it will look like. I just don't want my maid of honor shows up with red eyes in my wedding", finally, Usagi gave a small laugh, taking a little break from the cry. Minako joined her and they finally could laugh with no worries.

When thing had calmed down, Usagi took the chance to start the conversation but it was not a joyful topics. "I'm sorry…"

"Why do you need to apologize?"

"I should be… It was my fault that I couldn't stop this wedding…"

"It's not your fault! Don't blame yourself for this! It's my decision to go through this"

"Not only that… I-I've been a bad friend, I'm so s-sorry", tears began flowing on Usagi's cheek again. "I-I'm sorry"

"Usagi, you're not. You are my first and best friend, you know that", Minako's assurance did not stop Usagi's cries. She hated to see her friend in this state. She knew they need to solve whatever problem between them. Minako just wished that she had not had to mention it but she knew what it is. "I knew what happened between you and Rei"

Usagi looked up right away with his red teary eyes, looking surprised and ashamed. "H-how?"

"Rei told me", Minako said and clearly there was pain in her voice.

"I-I'm sorry, Minako. I-I am. I was so stupid. I s-should have know it better. I-I-"

"Usagi, please, calm down. I'm not mad at you"

Clearly, it came to a surprised for Usagi to hear what Minako just said. "W-why?"

"I just can't hate you, Usagi, you know that", Minako smiled softly. For the next few minutes, there was just silence shared between them as Usagi's cry began to fade. They could feel the awkwardness between them but Minako chose to speak first, breaking the long stillness. "It will be a lie if I said I was okay with it. I was shocked and angry. I've known you and how close you are with Rei but never that I thought both of you in deeper relationship. I felt betrayed by both of you but when Rei told me, I blame everything to her. She had betrayed me now and then, and she even took away my best friend"

"I'm sorry, Minako. It was not her fault. She did not know anything about my feeling. I can't deal with my own guilt, seeing the two of you broke up again"

"No, it's not. We never broke up AND we never had a relationship"

"But I thought the two of you got back together…"

"No, we didn't… We thought we will be… I thought so but now, I realized things might not work out between us"

"But why? You guys-"

"No, Usagi, please stop! I don't want you to hear it! She is not our friend anymore! She didn't deserve it after what she has done and kidnapping Reiko!"

"I… don't believe she could do such thing, Mina, and I don't think she kidnaps Reiko"

"How could you know what she thinks, Usagi? All the evidences just prove her wrongdoings and she admitted it to me! How could you be sure that she is innocent?"

"I trust Rei, Mina… I just knew that she would not do such thing. There must be a reason why she didn't deny it"

Minako stared at Usagi with wide eyes and gave a heavy sigh. "I can't believe it. Was it just me who could not see this? You and Reiko just believe her like that!"

"I love her, Minako"

The blond was struck silence by the confession. Suddenly, Minako could feel something inside her began to flame and she felt her whole body was warming. She did not know what it was. Was she angry? Was she jealous? Or was she just confused? But nothing came out of her lips.

Usagi noticed the change in Minako's attitude. She was glad that her friend did not leave her in anger to hear such confession. "I'm sorry for being blunt but it's the truth. I love Rei with all my heart and I love her because I know the goodness in her. She can make mistake but I love her that I learn to forgive her. What my heart tells me right now is to believe her and so does Reiko"

Minako went to stare at the floor. Everything inside her began to repulse. She had never been so mixed up before, feeling anger, defeated and miserable at the same time. She could not help feeling jealous towards Usagi for loving the woman she used to love. Somehow it was bothering her.

It did not take a while before Minako tried to recover herself and tried to say something normally. "I'm amazed with you, Usagi. I don't think I'll ever find a person that could truly trust and love someone as much as you but it will not change what I think of Rei"

"You don't love her anymore?"

The question made the fire inside Minako burst out. She had never been so angry with Usagi before but this time, she could feel the anger inside her as she replied in sharp and cold voice.

"Tell me, Usagi, do you know what it meant to love someone? Do you think it is just to adore one and another for the rest of their life? It is not. It is to love someone unconditionally regardless of who they are or what they have done. The taste of betrayal, rejection and pain, is it worth it? What we had back in Moon was just a reminiscence of our past; willingly believe that love is sweet and innocent. It was the only love we knew back then but what we never knew is what beyond that, the pain of love and sacrifices. If we would have realized it back then, will she still choose me knowing the price of one love?" Minako questioned as her eyes wondered into Usagi's eyes which is the same color as her own blue eyes. The Lunarian queen did not answered, only to stare at Minako's angry and pained expression. "I realize that I can't, Usagi. I just can't. So I choose not to love her"

"How selfish you are!" Usagi suddenly stood from her seat and replied with sharper voice, upset. "Back then, it never came to my mind that I would tell Rei or even you about my feeling, knowing the two of you are in love with each other then and now! Even that night when I made my move on her, she still chose you, not me! You don't know how painful it is to love someone that will never love you back. It was sickening enough when my heart kept pounding so hard and my throat went thickening that I couldn't even swallow or breathe whenever I saw Rei. But those were nothing compared to the time when Rei was dead. I regretted the day that I was unable to tell Rei about my feeling. I regretted for feeling miserable whenever I see Rei because those feeling that I unable to tell her. I just wished that if I was given another chance to see her, I would tell her my feeling regardless the pain that I will have to suffer. I still love Rei with all my heart and I can't help it to feeling this way, Minako! I was hurt too!"

Both blond stared at each other with silence. No words shared between them. They could feel the stillness gave them some sort of peacefulness, cooling their mind as they digest each other feelings.

The silence was up when they heard a loud noise throughout the castle. The big bell had been rang, indicate the royal celebration will be held soon and marking the end of their time together before the wedding.

"It's time", Usagi broke the silence first. She offered Minako a hand to help her got up which accepted by the blond bride.

"Thank you", Minako said as she stood up and Usagi went to help tidying up her dress.

As they were finishing up, Usagi gave one last touch on the veil when she finally takes a proper look on the bride. No matter how many times she looked at Minako, she would be still mesmerized by her stunning looks. Suddenly, her eyes began to tear up again.

"Usagi…" Minako hurried to the young queen's side and wiped her tears.

"I-I can't see you throwing your life like this", Usagi spoke softly with teary eyes, "I felt powerless and useless. I couldn't protect the one I love and I couldn't bring peace to our galaxy"

"No one could, Usagi, not yet but it didn't stop us from trying! Don't take everything to yourself… I'm here to help you, all of us. We can't everything by ourselves. We need each other"

Looking into Minako's eyes, Usagi saw the tenacity in her and somewhat she never felt more peaceful. Without thinking further, she went to hug the bride, without caring ruining the gown. "I-I'm sorry, Minako, don't hate me"

Minako giggled at Usagi and returned the hug. She realized that Usagi was still the same girl she used to know, a kind hearted who always trying to be strong for the rest of them. But Minako also knew that no one can stand alone. Together, they will be stronger. "I told you, I could never hate you, Usagi. You are my best friend and like my own sister"

They were hugging for a while until a knock on the door reminded them of the time and they heard Ami's voice. "Minako, Usagi, it's time"

As they separated, Minako wiped the rest of tears on Usagi's red puffy eyes. Once she finished, the bride had another look at her friend and saw Usagi's still saddened face. She went to hug the young queen again and gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry. I will be fine"

Usagi smiled back and headed to the door. As Minako saw her friend leaving the room, her mind had already travelled to their previous conversation; Rei.

Minako walked across the room, passing by furniture around her carefully not to ruin her dress and went directly to the bookshelf. Looking through her books collection and she found the orange book in her dream. She took it out and gently opened it. There she found Rei's O-Mamori.

She thought that she wanted to leave every pieces of her past behind and moving on. But Usagi proof her otherwise, a hope. She could feel the rage and jealousy when she felt that she was losing to Usagi. They both loved Rei but not like Usagi, she did not have the trust to do so. But she realized she had not really given up on her feeling yet. Minako was not ready to fall out of love with Rei.

**-Aino Castle: Transportation Dock-**

The spacecraft dock was quiet and empty. The only occupant of the enormous metal hangar was the big metal spacecrafts parked neatly side by side and two Venusian soldiers guarding the place. The silent surrounding was not as friendly as they thought especially when the day was dark.

One of the guard suddenly trembled as the cold wind blew even harsher that day. "Damn! It's so cold out here! Why we are the only two who's got to patrol here? It's creepy"

"Don't be such a girl, man"

"You didn't find this place eerie? The spook just made me hungrier"

"You just ate an hour ago?"

"A soldier marches on his stomach!"

"Whatever", the soldier just looked away annoyingly from his starving comrade and returned to his patrolling duty. Suddenly, something bumped him from behind and when he looked around, there was nothing. "Hey! Did you just bump me?"

"Huh? No, I didn't"

"But I was-" the man stopped right away when him and other soldier were alarmed by the steps coming from afar. "W-who's there?"

They received no answer and their heart was racing as the steps growing closer and louder. Both had their hand on their weapon, ready to attack as their eyes looked intently at the empty hallway. Then, a figure in black robe appeared.

"Hold it right there!" The first soldier shouted and the mysterious figure stopped right away, just few feet away from the two soldiers. "Who are you? Show us your face-"

The words stopped when he heard his comrade's grunt of pain and fell to the ground. He turned around and found a cold blunt object swung towards him in great speed. Then, everything went dark.

**-Aino Castle: The Great Hall-**

It was almost an hour since the big bell rang. The audiences, mostly Venusian officials and nobles, had gathered in the great hall long before and they were still waiting for the bride to arrive in the red carpet heading to the altar where they could see Elliros was standing there with both bridesmaids. He looked angry and embarrass. Alystair was waiting in the other end of the red carpet, waiting to bring the bride to the altar but still, there was no sight of Minako.

"Where is that woman?" Elliros squirmed as he kept looking at Alystair direction where the bride should be.

"Watch your manner, Commander Elliros", Usagi told the man with rather sharp voice. Elliros turned to look at the Lunarian queen with displeasure but only to nod in apology and went back to where his eyes were staring before.

Then, they heard a door had been opened and it came from the end of the room. All eyes went followed the sound and were expecting the bride. Instead of hearing excitement noise, the audiences were stunned and could believe with what they saw.

It was not the expected bride that appeared before them. It was Minako dressed up in her casual long dress, no wedding gown or veil. They all looked confused especially Elliros. Immediately, the man in the altar stormed along the red carpet and confronted the Venusian princess.

"What are you doing, Minako? This is not a GAME!" Elliros hissed angrily and his face was already red from the embarrassment.

"It is not, Commander Elliros and please, you watch your manner and refer me as your princess", Minako replied coldly.

The answer infuriated Elliros even more. He grabbed Minako's arm and this time he shouted, "What's the meaning of this?"

"Let go of me!" Minako managed to pull away her arm forcedly.

The stunned Alystair, who stood quietly between them, finally gave some words in the conversation, "Minako, what happened? Where is your dress?"

Minako's eyes averted to her father and with deepest regret, she told him of her decision. "That would not be necessary anymore, Father. I'm cancelling the wedding"

The shocking announcement gave quite a stir into the room and it just added more embarrassment for Elliros who already red as it is. But Minako ignored him and walked down the aisle alone towards the altar where Usagi and Ami were standing, smiling to their Venusian friend.

When Minako reached the altar, Usagi was the first one to approach her, looking disbelieve yet content. "What were you thinking, Minako?"

"I can't believe you are doing this!" Ami said, follow right behind. She was not as excited as Usagi but quite pleased herself with Minako's sudden change of mind.

"I know, I didn't expect it myself but I realized getting married will not solve my problem", Minako said as she smiled to both of her friends. The three of them must be the only people who were happy and smiling in that room.

"What are you going to do now?" Usagi asked.

Minako smiled at the question and replied, "Fulfilling my duty"

Both Usagi and Ami did not understand the meaning of it and Minako did not explain to them. But she would explain it to everyone in the room.

The blond princess turned around, facing the audiences. After taking a deep breath, she began her speech. "To the audience who stood by here in front of me, as you might have heard, I have cancelled my wedding. I apologized for your inconvenience but it is what I think the right thing to do. I also want to apologize to all of you for neglecting my duty as the princess of Venus for the past years and failed to deliver the expectation of our people has in me. But that will not be the issue anymore. I'm here, standing in front of you, instead of giving a marital vow, I gave you my vow to be the true ruler of this kingdom and in order to do that, I need my people to believe in me, to trust me, to support me in fulfilling my duty and bring prosperity and peace to our people"

As Minako finished, silence surrounded the great hall. No one spoke or even whispered. The Venusian knew that it would not be easy to gain trust of the mass right away but she did not expect when one man she recognized as one of the official in Venus stood from his seat.

"You have my support, Your Highness"

Then he was followed by the rest of officials and nobles standing as they gave their approval. Suddenly she heard applause from behind her which then the rest of the audiences did it as well. Minako turned around and saw content faces of her friends. Suddenly, she felt the heavy burden on her shoulder disappeared and she never felt so content for such a long time.

"That was cool, Minako!" Usagi said excitedly as she continued to applaud with the audiences. The compliment was received with a smile from Minako but then, Usagi and the rest of the people stopped what they were doing when the Venusian suddenly bowed in front of Usagi. "W-what are you doing, Minako?"

"Queen Serenity", Minako's voice surprised Usagi for a moment especially when she called her by official name. "I, Amadore Minako Venus, and pledge my loyalty to you, and so does the people of Venus"

Not even a second long, the audiences behind Minako followed her, even Ami, paying respect to their ruler's queen. Usagi was left in astonishment, seeing the people bowed before her.

The Venusian princess looked up and still wearing the same smile as before, "You are not alone, Usagi, I will always be by your side"

"I will be as well", Ami added and shared smile.

"Minako… Ami… Thank you"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Minako had completely forgotten about Elliros. When all eyes went to the source of the voice, they were surprised with what they saw. The man was standing behind Alystair with a small knife in his hand, pointing it to the king's neck.

"I-I'm sorry, Minako", Alystair said regretfully.

"Father!" Minako was about to move when Elliros stopped her.

"Do not move, Princess or this knife will slit your father's neck nicely", Elliros said as the knife moved closer than before.

Minako was just infuriated but there was nothing she could do. "Why, Elliros?"

"Doing what I should have done long time ago…"

"You don't know what you are doing-"

"It is you who don't! What does the Moon Alliance brought us? Nothing! Moon Alliance is doomed and so does Venus eventually if we do not rely on new and more powerful ally!"

"You can't mean-"

"Yes! It is time for Venus to join the Earth Alliance and rule the new world! To do so, this kingdom needs a new ruler, a leader to find a glory and bring Venus to its rightful place"

"You!" Minako was furious. But before she could make a move, suddenly the guards were moving towards her and pointing their weapon to Minako and the rest of the audiences.

Elliros was laughing maliciously and Minako could only give her deadly stare. "Do you think I'll not have my armies with me? You should be smarter than that Minako"

"You will never get away with this!"

"What can you do? Tell me! I have your 'queen' here with my soldiers around her and the Moon will be surrounded with the Earth Alliance armies by tomorrow", Elliros sneered as he saw the Minako's expression changed. "This is the end of the Moon Alliance"

Suddenly, the big glass window by the altar exploded and glass pieces burst down to Minako and the rest of the people underneath. As the guards were distracted, the Venusian princess took the chance to attack and soon followed by Ami, who is trying to protect Usagi. Before Elliros could react from the shock, another explosion was heard and this time, it came from behind him. When he turned around with Alystair intact, he saw his soldiers already lying around the floor and the nip of a fire arrow with only inch away from his eyes.

"Miss me?" The raven smirked at the pale man.

The rest of the soldiers stopped attacking as their eyes went to the fire warrior. Everyone was doing the same thing with no exception of Minako.

"Rei!" Usagi called out.

"Y-you-" The rage was shown in Elliros' voice but Rei did not care.

"I suggest you to remain silent and let go of King Alystair or this arrow will thrust into your eye in no time", Rei said it and Elliros knew there was no hesitation in her cold voice. The man had no choice but to follow the order and let go Alystair.

Minako ran to her father and hug him. "Father, are you okay?"

"I'm fine", Alystair said, giving her a soft smile.

The Venusian princess was relief when she heard it. Then, her eyes went back to their savior and the amethyst eyes stared back at hers. Their exchanged look was different from the last time they stared into each other eyes. There was no cloud of hesitation or lies.

"I trust you"

Hearing Minako's sudden exclaimed, Rei smiled. But it was not for long when the raven returned to look at her victim and gave him a solemn look. "Now, have your soldiers dropped their weapon and release the everyone-"

"AQUA SPLASH!"

Suddenly, a block of water appeared out of nowhere and went to attack Rei. But the raven was fast enough to counterattack with her arrow. "MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

The two shots clashed into each other and knocked away anyone around it. Rei managed to stand still but before she could brace for another shot, she already heard another attack from behind.

"BURNING SHOT!"

Rei suddenly felt burning sensation on her lower side ribcage and forcedly tossed to the side, crashing through whatever on her way.

"REI!" Minako shouted, seeing the raven landed hard on the floor. Although she felt the pain from the shot, Rei slowly managed to crawl up on her knee.

"OAK RAGE!"

After another mysterious shout, the ground began to shake as if something was moving underneath. Suddenly the pavement below Rei cracked and huge thick roots crawled out with great speed. Before Rei had the chance to move, the roots were already creeping on the raven's arms and legs, disabling her from moving further.

Minako saw it and tried to help Rei. "VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!"

As the attack heading to the roots, suddenly a yellow ball appeared, blocking the chain's course. Bright light appeared when the Minako's attack clashed into the ball. At the end, the chain was disarmed.

Laughter was filling in the room. They were childish laughter but it sent chills to everyone who was astounded by what they have just seen. However, it did not stop Minako from persisted to attack.

"I'll stop if I were you", Minako stopped on her track when she heard the voice and suddenly, another root clasped around Rei's neck and began to press against it. "Or your friend will be out of air, Princess Amadore"

The Venusian princess could see the struggle on Rei's face as it slowly turned red. The raven felt the root around her tightened and everything she does was seemingly hard, even to breathe.

"STOP! STOP IT!" Minako begged as she could feel Rei's agony. Her golden chain disappeared and suddenly, she felt an arm strangle around her neck.

"Minako!" Usagi was too late.

"Gotcha!" A red-headed girl with peculiar hair style and clothing appeared all of the sudden behind Minako with her arms already around her.

Usagi and Ami headed to the red hair girl but were blocked by the Venusian soldiers.

"Mou! You ruin it, VesVes! I want to play longer!" Another peculiar being appeared but instead of red, she had a light blue hair and different hair style from the previous one.

"You can play with her later when I'm done", said VesVes, the red hair girl.

"Stay focus, PallaPalla and you too, VesVes. We're not done yet"

This time a beautiful girl but looking mature appeared. She had pink hair and the clothing as peculiar as the others but different style and color.

"Hmp! CereCere is no fun! VesVes too!" PallaPalla was a little upset and turned her face away. The blue hair girl received giggles from her two sisters.

Minako had no ideas who were these people but her only concern was the raven woman. There was no more sign of struggling and Rei's face was already facing down, unmoving. "Please! Stop hurting Rei!"

VesVes looked at the blond woman in her arm. "Rei? Ow, you mean Princess Arestha?"

"I think that's enough, JunJun or you will kill her", CereCere spoke as she looked up, staring at the empty air.

The roots stopped moving for a while before they unleashed Rei and crawled back into the pavement, disappeared. The raven body was left falling to the floor. The fear inside Minako grew when the body hit the floor but showing no movement.

"Don't worry, she is not dead yet. She is just unconscious", a green hair girl appeared in the air where CereCere was looking. Everything in her was different from the others, apart from the hair and clothing; she looked a little cold and unfriendly.

"That's a close call, JunJun", VesVes teased her green hair sister.

JunJun gave a small smile, "I'm far from being reckless. I'm not like you"

"W-what!"

"Both of you, please!" CereCere shouted with frustration. She turned to see Elliros who sat on the ground, confused. "Forgive me for my rudeness, Commander Elliros. I believe we never met, so please let us introduce ourselves. We are the Amazon Quartet, witches of the great witch Nehellenia"

The name was unfamiliar to Minako's ear but she could not help feeling that this Nehellenia was not just a simple passerby.

"I-I see..." Elliros was still dumbfounded as he rose from the floor. The girls were barely reached his height but their aura somewhat gave him a chill.

"Now, where is the girl? She is with you I suppose?" CereCere asked.

"Girl? Reiko? You have Reiko?" Minako stared at Elliros angrily knowing the kidnapper she was looking for was under her nose all this time.

"S-she is not here", Elliros said warily. "We had her before but she was kidnapped"

Hearing the answer, CereCere's face did not change or showing disappointment at least. "I see... Do you know who the culprit is?"

CereCere's answer seemed calmer than Elliros expected but it did not put the man at ease. "I'm guessing that it's Arestha"

The pink hair girl looked at Rei's unconscious body for a while before she looked back at Elliros. "It doesn't look like she has her right now"

"I... Also suspect something else. I've my soldiers searching by wood for the mysterious activities-"

"O yeah, that was us- ups!" VesVes abruptly injected into the conversation which received mixed stares from the others.

"P-pardon?" Elliros confused.

"VesVes heard your conversation this morning and basically, the mysterious activities that you suspect has nothing to do with the missing girl", JunJun explained although she was not happy doing it.

"Are you here to spy on us?" Elliros was pissed off.

"Of course, we had to, otherwise how can Nehellenia-sama trust you?" PallaPalla said innocently.

"We are here for the girl. But since we were not being inform about the girl being missing, of course, it raised our suspicion", CereCere calmly explained.

"We will find the girl! I just need to force Arestha to tell us!" The man speeded towards the body on the floor and began to kick Rei. "Wake up!"

The raven awakened by the pain in her stomach and coughing uncontrollably as she began to feel the suffocation from before. But Elliros did not care and kept kicking her.

"Stop it!" Both Minako and Usagi begged but the man was less than care.

He finally stopped and bent down, "Where is the girl?"

Rei looked up and answered, "I-I don't know"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Elliros slapped the raven. His patient was running low. "Tell me! Where is she?"

"You tell me, dumbass", Rei challenged back which angered the man even more and the kicking continued. In that moment, Minako saw the amethyst eyes was looking directly to hers and instead of showing her pain, Rei was smiling to her.

Suddenly, a blast erupted at the wall behind Rei, tossing away everything around it including Elliros. The panic grew in the room, the audiences started running around, finding way out but for some unlucky ones, it costs their life. When it ended, only ashes of the explosion could be seen with bare eyes and nothing else. The room suddenly became very quiet. Minako tried to search for Rei but she was nowhere to be found, most probably buried in the ashes of the explosion.

VesVes' arm still intact around Minako and the rest of the sisters was still around. Then, they heard soldiers were shouting behind them but their sight was blocked. They could not see anything.

"BURNING MANDALA!"

They heard a shout from where the blast was. When they turned around to see, suddenly rings of flame were flying towards them.

"AQUA BARRIER!" PallaPalla shouted as a wall of water built up, blocking them from the attack.

The flaming rings kept coming but it would not go through the water wall.

"FIRE SOUL BIRD!"

A flaming phoenix appeared between the rain of fire and hit PallaPalla's water wall hard. In a spur of moment, the two attacks blasted throwing back the blue hair girl.

"AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"PallaPalla!" JunJun ran to her sister.

The water wall had disappeared and they had no choice but to flee from the scene as the flaming rings kept coming to them.

When VesVes and Minako separated from the others, they heard another familiar attack.

"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

"AAAAARG!" VesVes shouted in pain as a flaming arrow went through her left shoulder. Minako saw her captor was distracted and went to thrust her elbow hard on the red hair girl's ribs. She heard another cried of pain and finally, she was released.

Minako was falling. She could try to use her Venus' chain to hang by the ceiling but she did not have much time. Suddenly, she had stopped falling and landed on someone's arms. When she looked around, she saw surprised to see a man with familiar blue eyes and long white hair. Minako recognized the man when she saw well-known golden crescent moon on his forehead.

"A-Artemis!" Minako exclaimed in amazement.

"Long time no see, Princess", Artemis smiled at the dumbfounded princess.

The amazement was not for long. Suddenly, surge of emotion filled up inside Minako and it gave her the urge to hug the man as hard as she could. Her long time mentor, guardian and friend appeared after his sudden disappearance six years ago. Minako looked up and stared again at the man with so many unanswered questions in her head. "But how-"

"Let's save that for later", Artemis cut in softly, knowing what is inside the princess's mind. "We have to find Rei and escape from here"

Suddenly, Minako remembered the raven. "Oh no! Rei! Wait, how about Usagi and Ami?"

"Both of them and your father are safe. Now, let's hurry before the enemy catch up", Artemis explain as he let Minako down.

Minako nodded and followed Artemis. The man was agile and the blond managed to stick behind him in the midst of ashes. It was not that long before they found Rei who was leaning lifelessly by the wall. The blond woman immediately ran faster than Arthemis and approached her. "Rei? Rei!"

After a little shook, the raven opened her eyes a little. "M-Minako..."

"Let's get her out of here", Artemis went to pick Rei up and the three of them escaped to the hole from the previous blast.

When they were outside, a spacecraft was waiting for them. Minako noticed the Venusian emblem on it and thought Elliros must have called reinforcement.

"Minako!"

It was suprised for the Venusian princess that the spacecraft entrance was opened and a little girl was standing there, waving to her.

"R-Reiko!" Minako ran as fast as she could to the entrance and placed Reiko into her arms. "Are you alright?"

Reiko nodded happily. "I'm okay… Lulu-chan and Artie-chan take care of me"

"Lulu-chan? Artie-chan?" Minako did not understand at first.

"BURNING SHOTS!" VesVes appeared from the mist of ashes and staring with raging looks. CereCere was not far behind her sister and followed her to attack.

"DARK BLAST!"

"Let's hurry! Reiko, tell Lulu to take off!" Artemis shouted while running behind them.

"Go, Reiko!" Minako told Reiko. The girl went inside and Minako stayed behind preparing her attack.

"CRESCENT BEAM!"

The fierce long range shots were not for long. When Artemis reached the spacecraft, Minako slowly retreated inside.

After placing Rei down carefully to the metal floor, Artemis ran to the communication switchboard. "Emergency take-off! I repeat emergency take-off!"

The ground trembled, throwing Minako out of balance. The spacecraft was taking off the ground in high speed. When the enemies' shots were no longer heard, the blond felt a little relieve.

_"Is everything okay, down there?"_ A voice came from the communication switchboard.

"We need Ami immediately. Rei isn't looking good", Artemis answered.

_"Roger"_

Minako was not really paying attention to the conversation. She was focusing solely on the woman who lied on the side, still unconscious. Gently she caressed her rosy cheek, felt the burning sensation against her palm. Every time the raven overworked herself the heat runs through her body as if her enemies were not the only thing she burned. The blond never really knew whether it pained Rei whenever she is using her power. Rei never complained.

In fact, the raven rarely complained about anything except if it was matter of Usagi or Minako. She never talked about herself much not even her childhood or even her father. There was just one time when Rei revealed to her how she dealt with her duty as Martian princess and the death of her mother. Minako never realized the burden that carried behind those calm façade.

"Minako… you should go for a rest…" the silver hair man approached Minako as he leant his hand on her shoulder.

Minako turned her attention to Artemis which reminded her all the questions she had before. "Artemis, why are you here?"

Artemis knew the princess would not let the topic slipped away and he promised her already to do so. "I've been following you since you decided to go back from Moon"

"You were in Moon as well? For how long? Why didn't you come to see us?"

"I'm sorry, Minako… I've been in Moon and most of the time, observing how all you've been but it was not my sole task"

"What task? And how come Reiko is with you? Why she is being the target of those witches? And also the Kunoichi?"

"I… do not know what their intention is but for sure, it is not something good"

"But who is she, Artemis?"

Artemis did not answer her right away. Before he could, a door slided open and Reiko appeared from it. "Minako!"

Reiko went to hug the blond and there was Ami right behind her. The Mercurian entered the room and right away, her attention went to the unconscious woman. She began to check on Rei and the rest of them were just staring at her without making any sound.

After the blue hair woman finished her checking, she turned around to see the others. "Don't worry, she will be fine. There's no major wound in her body"

Everyone looked relieved especially Minako. Then, the sound of the sliding door interrupted them again and this time, it was Alystair.

"Minako!" The elderly man went to approach Minako and hug her. "I'm so glad you are safe"

"Father… I'm glad you are safe as well", the princess replied as she returned the hug.

"I'm sorry, Minako… How could Elliros do such a thing?" Alystair said angrily.

"Don't worry, Father… We will get him in time… I'll make sure of that"

The conversation stopped when the sliding door opened again for the third time showing Usagi holding a woman beside her. It was the woman that Minako saw in the vision she had with Rei, the woman that was laying on floor in Diana Temple, the woman in long silver hair.

"Q-Queen Serenity?" Minako bowed to the elderly Queen.

The ruler who was announced to be lost six years ago standing in front of her. Her feature was looking a little weak as she was leaning heavily on Usagi. Both of them had this distinguish hair style that ran in the Lunarian royal family and no one could beat their resemblance except their hair.

"Please raise, Princess Amadore. I'm no longer your Queen", the silver hair Queen said delicately.

"Don't say that, Oka-san!" Usagi scolded her mother but then continued in sadder tone, "I'm just replacing you since you were gone. I… I'm not ready yet to be a Queen like you"

"Usagi… You are a Queen just like what I expect you to be… You have matured very well, and you have grown to care and love your people and friends around you", the elderly Queen caressed her daughter lovingly. "I'm proud of you"

"Oka-san", Usagi went to hug her mother in tears.

The moment interrupted when suddenly Reiko screamed, "NO! Let me go!"

Suddenly, a strong wind appeared out of nowhere and when they all turned to see Reiko who was already clutched in Alystair's arm. Both were standing by the opened gate where the wind came from.

"Father! What are you doing?"

"To take her where she belongs", Alystair replied coldly.

"Let me go!"

"Shut up! Or I'll 'kill' you!" Alystair shouted.

The word nudged Reiko for some reason. The way Alystair said 'kill' was very familiar to her. It was not too long ago when she heard someone ordering to kill her. Then, her gaze went to the man's left hand. She saw an almost fading but still reddish half-circular mark. It was like a bite mark.

Reiko's face suddenly turned pale and she looked fearfully at Alystair. "Y-you! You are the masked man!"

"What?" Alystair looked a little surprised.

"You're the one who kidnapped me and wanted to kill me before!"

Minako looked confused by whatever conversation going on between Reiko and Alystair but what she was more worried about was the fact that only few inches away the two of them would end up crashed to the ground.

"Father! Please stop this!"

"Shut up both of you!" Alystair shouted in anger. His eyes stared at Minako and the daughter had never seen the blue eyes filled with so much pain and rage.

"Why are you doing this, Father? Why?" Minako asked demanding to know his reasoning, wanting to know what pained him so much.

Alystair did not answer at first. He just stood in his place with only one more step before he and Reiko went down to the ground. His eyes kept staring at Minako's sparkling blue eyes, something that she inherited from her mother.

"You want to know the truth?" The question caught Minako a little of guard. There was no more anger in his voice, only bitterness. "The truth is I'm not your father"

"W-what?" Minako was beyond shocked. It was an answer that she never expected.

"Alystair!" The elderly Queen shouted all of the sudden which surprised all of them.

"Ask THAT woman for the truth!" Alystair said in even bitter voice before he jumped out of the vehicle.

"NO!" Minako ran to the gate and jumped down as well.

Soon as her feet was no longer touched the metal ground, she could already feel the vigorous breeze upon her face and her body vastly broke through layers of air. Artemis and the others' voice vanished within seconds as she departed away from the ship and only the gust of wind echoed inside her ears. The sky was a complete darkness but not a bit of fear was in her. Minako's mind was only focusing on what her eyes could not find; Reiko and her father.

Before Minako could use her power, suddenly a small light came to her attention from below her. It was not from the ground, more likely from the air between her and the ground. The small light was suddenly burst out with immense power blinding whatever around it even for Minako. In the midst of blindness, she felt a mysterious aura came out of it and flied passing her. When the blond managed to open her eyes again, it was completely dark but something was glowing behind her. She turned around and found the glowing object.

"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" Minako suddenly shouted for her attack aiming at the spaceship. As the chain made it to the ship, Minako had stopped falling but her eyes never stopped focusing on the glowing object as it was falling down in great speed. She wanted to catch it.

Minako swung her body relentlessly as she could to approach the glowing object. When she caught it, she found the little girl she was searching for in her arm. Reiko was unconscious but appeared to be unharmed. Her body was glowing in golden light but Minako did not feel any pain or anything from touching her. Instead, it was comforting and warm. That was not the only thing that else caught Minako's attention. A mysterious symbol appeared on the girl's forehead like a planetary symbol. Only a person possessed with power to own such symbol but it was not like any other planetary symbol she has ever seen. It some sort resembled her Venusian symbol but with an arrow like Mars and underneath... A crescent moon?

**Author's note:**

Finally after four months of 'I-have-no-idea-what-to-write-time' and got myself a chicken pox (I'm not kidding). I'm really sorry for the delay guys! I hope the next chapter can be faster than this one.

Thanks a lot for reading my story and I really thank you for those who have spent a little of your time reviewing. I really appreciate it and I promise you I'll finish this story for sure! Just need a little bit of time ^_^

Thanks again!


	15. Chapter 15: Fear and Pain

**Disclaimer**: I do not own or claim Sailormoon but I thank the creator who made these wonderful characters. ^_^

**Chapter 15: Fear and Pain**

-**Day 4 Month 3 Year 444: Spaceship**-

It was approximately sixteen hours after their escapade and the spaceship had been travelling aimlessly. They might have escaped from the chase but not for long. Minako's eyes just lost in the dark space scene from the window right in front of her while signing tiredly. She had lost track of time and even though her body tells her to rest but her mind would not shut and tried to distract herself around the spaceship. However, it kept coming back to her. There were so many question left unanswered.

Behind her calm expression, everyone knew how rupture the Venusian is. No one could imagine being betrayed and lied by someone who she had grown to believe as her father. When Minako remembered the anger and pained on Alystair's face, she came to realize it was more painful for him as he had to live with the pain of betrayal by someone he loved; Minako's mother. Bitterness overwhelmed her and she wanted nothing but the truth behind her broken family, the reason of her mother's infidelity and the identity of her real father. She wanted answers in hope that it would ease all her pain.

Minako finally took her mind off when she got the call from Ami. She headed right away to the cockpit room where they suppose to meet. At least, she needed something to distract her. When she arrived in cockpit room, right away her attention went to a woman with long black wavy hair woman standing in the middle of the room with Artemis. Luna seemed to notice Minako's presence and right away smiled. The Venusian easily recognized her since nothing much changed in her former teacher and of course by her distinctive crescent moon mark on her forehead. The woman bowed, greeting Minako. "Princess Amadore, long time no see"

"Luna…"

"I want to thank you for taking a good care of our young Queen"

"It is thanks to you too. If it had not be you to teach us, I don't think I can"

"The pleasure is mine", Luna smiled as she bowed again. "You've became a fine young lady, Princess Amadore and I'm very proud to be your tutor"

"Indeed", Artemis joined the conversation wearing the same pleased smile to Minako.

No one ever forget their graceful and well-mannered tutor. Luna had been very strict with their studies especially when it came to mannerism and it did well to most of them. For Usagi and Makoto, she had to spend extra hours teaching them and one thing they all learned that never try to make the 'graceful' tutor angry. In contradiction, Artemis was more laid-back and cheerful. He taught mostly about battle's strategy and physical training which Minako excelled at but it was not the only reason Minako has been very close to him. He was her mother's confidant even before he volunteered to help Luna mentoring and the Venusian princess has considered him as her own family.

As much as she was happy for the old time sake, the reminiscing pulled back all the thoughts she had earlier. They were so many questions in her mind and she wanted the answers so badly. The guardians could be the key to her misery. Before Minako could begin her investigation, suddenly the door behind them slid open again and Usagi came in. "Sorry, I'm late…"

"Queen Serenity", Artemis and Luna bowed to Usagi.

"Please stand, Luna, Artemis. It is an informal gathering so you do not need this"

"That would not do, Your Majesty", Luna replied without any hesitation or even stare at the young Queen.

Usagi signed knowing the tenacity of her mentor. "If you insist, then I had no choice to 'order' you to do so"

Luna looked up right away and stared at the young queen in surprised yet annoyed.

"Let it be, Luna, she is a Queen now", Artemis' chuckles was followed by the others two princesses as they received dead-stares from Luna but not for long.

Luna rose on her feet and gave in, "Fine… You win, Your Majes-"

"And I prefer you to call me 'Usagi', please…" Usagi added with sweet innocent voice of hers.

"Fine", Luna agreed without giving any more comment.

They all laughed heartily at Luna's silent complain except for Minako. Torn in between rejoice and displease, she could not figure it out how to react. She had mixed feeling about reuniting with their two old friends and she could not shake her disappointment.

"Where have you two been?" The joyous moment immediately faded as they felt the air of seriousness in Minako's words. Both Ami and Usagi kept silence but their stares of awkwardness could not escape Minako's eyes. The Venusian knew that they all wanted the same thing from these two 'almost' strangers. "I'm sorry but I can't pretend that nothing happened. Your disappearance and then Reiko… I think all of us deserve to know the truth!"

Luna and Artemis did not seem or even slightest surprised, and they knew that sooner or later, the truth must be revealed. Artemis took his chance before Luna and began his tale.

_-flashback-_

_Staring up close at Venus, Serenity slowly raised her hand gracing the window as if those fingers of hers were able to reach the Evening Star. She could not look away and kept staring at it with longing. In that moment, she only wanted to grab it into her arms and hoping that it would cure her desire. But deep down, she knew that it was not the star that she desired. Only one person that was in her mind. _

_Suddenly, the thoughts interrupted by Luna's high heel step out of the cockpit room and approached the Queen. Serenity's guess was right as she turned around to see the black wavy hair woman. It was a small space shuttle and it was not hard to find who was around especially when only her, Luna and Artemis in the shuttle._

"_How is it?"_

"_Not good. Apparently they're not giving us clearance-" Luna stopped when she heard Artemis' voice loud and clear as he was yelling at his communication headset._

"_I TOLD YOU FOR THOUSAND TIMES! Her Majesty The Queen of Moon Kingdom and Moon Alliance is on board! Don't tell me you need clearance for her!" Artemis paused for a moment as he listened to the other side until he spoke again in the same manner, "I don't want to hear it anymore! This is just absurd! Space Shuttle Clearance number MN0630 out!"_

_As he finished the conversation, Artemis angrily took off his headset and threw it to the cockpit board and got up to join the two women._

"_What did they say?"_

"_They received orders that to prevent anyone from going in or out for the time being! I asked them what exactly happening and they told me it was confidential! I can't believe they said that to us!"_

"_This is very suspicious"_

"_It is! How could they not let me in? I've spent the thirty years in that planet and they treated me like outsider-" Artemis stopped his enraged mumblings when he remembered the person who was sitting in front of him and quickly felt ashamed of himself. "I apologize, Your Majesty. I was out of line"_

"_I understand you are frustrated, Artemis and so do I", Serenity calmly replied, smiling at Artemis. Since they received the disturbing news, the white hair guardian had been the least calmed one among them. It was understandable since he had spent almost his entire life growing up in Venus, dedicating his life for the Queen and Princess._

"_We have no choice but to wait here until they are allowing us to go in then"_

"_No, Luna… We must go to Venus now"_

"_But Your Majesty, entering with force will break the Constitutional Planetary Law 288-"_

"_Let's skip the law for a moment Artemis. I'm afraid this time we have to break it without anyone knowing"_

"_How? The orbit was filled with Venusians' army and even we are able to pass it, they are surely going to detect us. The whole land is like radar"_

"_Then we should land one place that is out of their radar"_

_Both Luna and Artemis looked at each other confuse by the Queen and thoughts were rallying over places in Venus that was not under the radar like Serenity said._

"_There is no way that one place is out of their radar, a place that they neglect-" Artemis stopped when he realized there was one land that possibly what the Queen meant. "The forbidden land"_

"_The forbidden land? Are you sure, Your Majesty?"_

_"I'm pretty sure that Queen Annako informed me about it"_

"_Of course! Why didn't I think about it before!"_

"_That is not what I mean!" Luna smacked the excited man on the head and revert her attention back to the Queen again despite the glare Artemis gave. "What are we doing, Your Majesty? Breaking the Planetary Law is a crime even for a Queen. I will not risk Your Majesty to do such thing and it is my duty to make sure of that. I will stand by what I believe it's right for you and the Moon Alliance even if I have to risk my life for it"_

_Serenity never looked away from her guardian or blinked her eyes even for a second as she stared at Luna's dark blue eyes. The air of calmness never escaped from the Queen's face but the guardian found it excruciating than ever. Luna's heart raced when the Queen began to speak, "Luna... I really appreciate your honesty. I have nothing to explain to you right now but I must go there. Please… Trust me"_

_Both guardians hear it loud and clear. The Queen asked them to believe in her and they knew that they always have. No words could go against such request. Luna had nothing to say no more and turned her head towards Artemis for approval._

"_I shall proceed to our destination then", Artemis left for the cockpit, only leaving the two women alone._

_Serenity stared at her guardian and seeing the emotionless face was only to bring more guilt for the Queen. "Luna…"_

_Luna turned to see her Queen, staring back into the other's eyes but it was not for long. "I'll inform you once we arrive in Venus. I apologize for my rudeness, Your Majesty" _

_The black hair guardian gracefully bowed to the Queen before headed to join Artemis in front. When Luna disappeared, Serenity sadly looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry…"_

_-c-_

_The small spaceship landed in the middle of disintegrated ground and just like they planned, they managed to get in undetected. As the three strangers stepped on the lifeless debris, one could not ignore the shudder of fear all over them as the fog filled the scene of the forbidden land. There was nothing left from Aino City's impeccable beauty and only ruins haunted it. The tragic abomination caused an immense wound in history of civilization and marking an emerging terror throughout the galaxy. _

_Serenity had never imagined standing again on that land as it brought nothing but painful memories. However she was not planning to indulge in it for too long. "I… need to go to now"_

"_Where are we going, Your Majesty? We should not make a bold move, otherwise-" Luna asked._

"_There's no 'we'... I'm going alone"_

_The two guardians looked at each other again, surprise by the Queen's words and Artemis clearly objected. "No! There is no way we will let you, Your Majesty! It is our duty to protect you!" _

"_Then, it's no longer your duty, Artemis, Luna"_

"_What do you mean?"_

_It took a moment for Serenity before she could answer. Taking a deep breath, Serenity turned to look at her two loyal guardians and spoke, "I'm no longer your Queen. I have decided to abandon my title and duty. So your time to serve me has come to an end. You are dismissed"_

_The Queen turned around again and walked away but Luna did not plan to let her go that easily. _

"_You can't just abandon everything just like that! You just can't!" Serenity stopped on her track but did not turn around. She was just stood there not facing Luna as the guardian continued to let out her anger. "What is going on, Your Majesty? Please, tell us"_

"_I can't… I have to leave"_

"_You can't do this to your kingdom and your daughter! You can't do this to us! Whatever happened, you can't run from your duty, you just can't. You must face it! And we can help you-" Luna shouted in desperation._

"_Did you hear what I said before? I said the two of you are dismissed. I did not recall asking for help", the words were coldly spoken which struck Luna silent. The Queen had never spoken that way before and it just shocked them especially Luna. Suddenly, Luna's world turned dark as if the light in her life was taken away from her. If her heart was made of glass, she could surely hear it was broken into pieces by now._

_Serenity did not even look back at what she just caused and continued stepping forward through the empty land while Luna just stared blankly at the scene. _

"_W-wait, Your Majes-" When Artemis tried to stop the Queen, Luna just stopped him on the spot._

"_Artemis, don't…"_

"_But-"_

"_It's Her Majesty's order. There's nothing we can do… Let her go…" Luna turned in opposite direction and headed inside the spaceship._

_Artemis could feel the hurt in Luna's voice. He could not deny that the feeling of disappointment and lost. There was nothing that the two of them could do to change their Queen's heart and Artemis could only looked back, seeing their Queen's figure slowly vanished in the fogs. Then, he too followed Luna into the spaceship._

_The dark sky felt much colder for both of them as they quietly sat inside the spaceship, doing nothing. Artemis looked up from his empty stare to the ground and looked at Luna. It saddened him more to see her hopelessness rather than feeling it. Artemis respects and trusts the Queen as much as Luna but something else attached Luna more. She had been growing up with the Queen and dedicated her life to her. She loved the Queen like her own sister and to be abandoned like this was just heartbreaking for her._

"_Luna, let's go after her! I don't care what her order is!" Artemis broke the silence but no response received from his partner. Luna was just looked afar to the ruins and mountains of Venus, careless of what the man said. "Luna, are you listening?"_

"_There is nothing we can do… We must bring the news to Princess Serenity", Luna tried to be composed but her tone betrayed her. "It was her order"_

"_This is wrong! We should do something!"_

"_Do what?" _

"_Like I said, we should go after her-"_

"_I know what you said, Artemis! But what can we do? She doesn't care about anything so what should she considers to come back with us?" Luna shouted. Behind those angers, Artemis could see she was trembling and her eyes were staring at him desperately waiting for answer. He understood her completely. Their loyalty was too much to accept that they were being abandoned but Artemis was not planning to give up just like that._

"_You know that it is not the truth", Artemis calmly replied despite Luna's outburst._

"_What do you know? She left us, alright? Just let her go! Let her-" _

_Luna stopped barrage when Artemis suddenly pulled her into his embrace and softly spoke to her, "She cares about us, Luna… You know it like I do. She wasn't telling us the truth. She was hiding something from us"_

_It took a moment or two after for Artemis to feel the trembles had disappeared and Luna began to loosen up. Then, he started to hear the crying sound, and felt warm and moist sensation on his chest._

"_It kills me to see her miserable, Artemis", the voice was almost like a mumble due to Luna's hoarse voice from the crying but Artemis did not bothered by it. "She was lonely and there was nothing we can do! I thought when the Princess was born, things will get better. But still, the loneliness in her heart was not vanished completely. Every single day, I still could see the longing in her eyes"_

"_But Luna, you knew she would not leave for such reason… She was too rational for that…"_

"_I-I don't know… But what I noticed few months ago, she became anxious all of the sudden. I tried to ask her but she would not tell me until I found a letter address to her slipped under the armchair near the fire place"_

"_A letter?"_

_As Luna's cry died down, she pulled away from Artemis and slid her hand into her dress' pocket, taking a neatly folded paper out. Artemis took it and unfolded it when he found a nicely handwritten text._

_**My Dearest Nene,**_

_**If you have made up your mind, it is decided then. Although I hate to leave both of our children but we must do this for everyone's sake. I love you, Serenity, and I'll be waiting for you.**_

_**Love,**_

_**A.**_

"_Love, A… Who is A? and who is Nene?" Artemis looked up as he finished reading the letter and saw Luna with rather upset looks._

"_How could you possibly not remember?"_

"_Remember what?"_

"_Nene! That's Serenity-sama's nick name!"_

_It was not for long before Artemis could recall it, "You're right… Now, I remember Annako-sama was calling her that once…" The man looked back again to the letter in his hand before his eyes opened wide and his face changed, more like shocked, "T-then, this letter was from Serenity-Sama's lover?" _

_Artemis looked at his fellow guardian in surprise as he received a quiet nod from distressed Luna. "I can't believe it took you this long to process everything" _

_Despite the comment, Artemis was bother too much by it. The letter seemed to be much more disturbing for him. "How she could get this letter? We checked ad recognized every single sender of her letters"_

"_I had the same thought at first and I've been through the records in the system but I didn't find anything suspicious. Somehow they managed to break through our security at least for 17 years"_

"_17 years? How do you know?"_

"_Read again the letter…"_

_Artemis was confused at first and went back to read the letter again but failed to notice anything. "I don't see it. There is nothing about 17 years-"_

"_No, that's not it. Read thoroughly"_

_The lack of explanation kept Artemis wondering the reason why of Luna's hesitation. He looked into the letter for the third time, reading every word carefully and out loud, "My Dearest Nene, If you have made up your mind, it is decided then. Although I hate to leave our daughter but we must do this-" Suddenly, he stopped reading as the pieces began to fall into places. Artemis could not have been more surprise and he looked up to see Luna's motionless face. "It's from the Princess' biological father?"_

"_We cannot know for sure", Luna responded in short._

"_But the letter clearly implied that they have a daughter together and we know the only daughter the Queen has is the Princess!"Artemis added and still in shock. Although Luna had known it before but her expression was no less shocking than Artemis. It was a surprising finding but it was not a secret that the Queen was pregnant without having an official relationship but no one knew who was the father and the Queen never told anyone. It was a mystery since apart from the court people, the Queen had never been sighted with anyone. "Does it mean the Queen is meeting the person now in Venus?"_

"_That's my guess…"_

_Artemis looked at Luna and the same questions appeared in both of their heads. "What is he doing in Venus? And why do they have to hide this?"_

_Suddenly, both Artemis and Luna noticed a light appeared in the dark. It was far away up in the mountain. It was started up as one tiny light followed by another one and kept adding up until partial of the mountain was covered with light. Then, a clamorous sound, almost inaudible was heard from the mountain._

"_Did you hear that?"_

"_Yes… Have they found Serenity-sama?"_

"_She could be in danger, Artemis! Let's go!" Artemis nodded and both of them ran in blind, only to follow their instict._

_It did not take them long to reach the end of the flat surface and found themselves surrounded by trees. The fog was still thick but they kept running towards where most of the lights concentrated._

"_Luna, hide!" Artemis pulled Luna in time before they went too close to the lights. The two peeked by the tree beside them, and saw seven Venusian soldiers standing and fully armed. _

_Then, loud noise was heard close by and soon followed by a group of cavaliers. The soldiers made a way allowing the men in horses to stop in between. Luna and Artemis' eyes came to a man who was riding the horse at the very front of the group. His mask caught their attention the most and his armor seemed to be different from the other cavaliers. The man in mask looked at the soldiers beneath him and spoke, "Where is she?"_

_Both Luna and Artemis' heart was racing when the man said 'she'. They could have meant the Queen. _

"_I apologize, My Lord. We lost her…" One soldier who stood head-to-head to the man's horse answered. Suddenly a sword went through his chest then the poor man ended up laying on the ground in pool of blood._

"_I can guarantee the rest of you will end up like this fool if you don't find her", the man in mask said coldly as he swung his sword back to the sheath._

_Before the soldiers could run in fear, a figure in black robe came out of the bushes and ran away from the sight. The group caught the glimpse of the figure and the masked man shouted, "That's her! She is heading to the cliff! Go after her!"_

_The soldiers and cavalries quickly went after it and disappeared from the scene in second. Luna and Artemis came out from their hiding and feeling concerned._

"_Those armors… they belong to the Venusian Kingdom but I didn't recognize that masked man…"_

"_We don't have time for that! We must follow them! The Queen could be in danger-"_

_Suddenly, they heard rustles from the bushes nearby and Artemis and Luna shifted to their defense stance. The suspect there were more soldiers around and they were ready for offense when they surprised to see the person they were looking for appear. Serenity was not much of a surprise to see the two guardians but instead, Luna noticed the Queen's watery eyes and wet cheek. _

"_Y-Your Majesty! Are you alright?" Luna sounded concern but glad to see the Queen was alive._

_Serenity did not answer, only emptily stared at Luna and Artemis with so much sadness as if she had lost something so precious to her._

"_Luna, we don't have time! Let's bring the Queen out of here!" Artemis rushed as he scanned the area knowing the chance of being caught._

"_You're right", Luna agreed. She walked a little closer to the Queen and reached her hand to her, giving an assuring grasp. "Your Majesty, please, come with us. You are not safe her"_

_The woman snapped from her reverie but it was not because of Luna. Serenity's attention drifted to her arms where Luna just noticed the bundle in the Queen's arms. She saw a glimpse of golden lock and followed by a faint squeak as it was giving weak motion. When Luna went to have closer look, a round amethyst eyes were staring at her._

"_Luna, we should go!"_

_Luna was not listening to Artemis. She was too indulged with what she was seeing in Serenity's arms. "A baby?"_

_-end flashback-_

"That's how we met Reiko…" Luna paused for a while before continued, "As soon as we left Venus, Serenity-sama ordered us to keep everything a secret and disappeared from public eyes in order to protect Reiko. She never told us who are Reiko's parents or who was she meeting with…"

"My father…" Usagi looked a little pale.

Luna looked at the young Queen with sad look. "We don't know for sure yet, Usagi-sama"

"But why keeping Reiko a secret? Isn't it hiding her in the palace would be much safer?" Ami asked.

"We never asked…" Artemis sounded a little hesitated.

Not a single word came across the Venusian lips as Minako suddenly shifted from her position and headed to the entrance. But Artemis was fast enough to stop in front of her before she reaches her destination.

"Where are you going, Minako?"

"Don't stop me, Artemis, I need to see the Queen"

"She is resting right now. She is not in good condition due to immense stress on her body", Artemis countered back.

Ami came over to back-up Artemis. "Minako, it is not only you who seek for answer, all of us do, but we must let Serenity-sama to decide. We can't force her"

"But that child is one of us! She has the mark!" Minako accidently blurted it out.

"What mark?" Ami asked.

The Venusian calmed down when she realized she had made a mistake. No one knew about the mark on Reiko's forehead except her and she was not planning on telling anyone about it so she decided to lie. "N-nothing"

"What are you hiding, Minako?" Artemis was suspicious Minako's sudden change in behavior.

"I said noth-" Suddenly, Minako's head felt uncomfortable and her sight was blurry for a second. It felt like the ground shaking but it did not seem to bother the others. Then, she felt a painful stung in her temple and she lost control of her body. Minako was losing her balance.

"Minako!" They were all surprised by the Venusian's sudden fall and Usagi was in time to catch Minako before she could hit the floor.

"Are you okay, Minako?" Artemis looked at the princess with rather worry look.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine…"

Ami seemed to ignore the Venusian comment and took her place beside Minako right away. As she went to check on her 'almost' fainted friend, the Mercurian scolded Minako. "I knew this would happen! You haven't eaten anything or rest since yesterday! You should not push yourself and take a rest!"

"It was nothing…"

"Your heartbeat is very weak. You need rest"

"I'm really fine, Ami. I-"

"No! You are not, Minako! You are tired and stress! I have enough sick people around me and I will not accept another one! So get yourself together and rest! You hear me? "

Everyone was shocked hearing the Mercurian's ultimatum and no one dare to even save Minako from it. When it comes to health issue, arguing with Ami was just waste of time and anyone would be rather complying. Minako had no choice but to surrender. "Okay. I will have some rest but let's discuss about our route. That's why we are gathering here in the first place, no?"

Ami seemed to agree with Minako's suggestion and helped the Venusian to make movement. All of them approached a round table in the middle of the room where Ami opened a virtual keyboard and began to typing on it.

"The nearest escape route is to go to Mercury but I think they might suspect it", Ami was the first to start the discussion.

"True… With Moon under their occupation, it would leave Mercury as our best choice to escape right now", Luna added and then continued without hesitation. "But with Venus falling to the hand of Earth Alliance, Mercury will not stand for long"

The room went into silence. No one could counter Ami's hypothesis since her statement was absolutely true. Mercury was the only ally left in the inner circle and the Earth Alliance will make their move in no time. Even if they decided to help Mercury, their presence there would not change anything.

"There must be a way to help Mercury", Usagi said as they all would have guess that the queen would respond that way.

"No, Usagi, not right now. We cannot risk you being in Mercury. With you there, it will even threaten the existence of Moon Alliance", Minako softly refuted.

"I agree with Minako and I think it now is best for us to escape to Jupiter", Ami added while continued her typing with inhumane speed.

"Jupiter?" Minako asked with a little hesitation.

"Yes, it's our only option", while Ami kept typing, suddenly a three-dimensional round sphere projected on the navigation table where they could see the solar system's orbit inside it.

"But is it safe? With Earth Alliance armies surrounding the terrestrial planets?" Luna looked at Ami but the Mercurian princess did not even turn away from her keyboard for a second.

Then inside the sphere, it began to zoom into five planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and Jupiter, as they were circling the sun. When a line were drawn from an empty space near the sun, which they assumed to be their spaceship current position, straight to Jupiter, Ami stopped typing. "Our course is clear. From the planets current orbital position, Mercury, Venus and Earth will be orbiting the opposite direction from our course. We will run into Mars' orbiting course but we will pass them far before planet Mars reaches that point. From our coordinates, it should take 12 days maximum but I think we could reach Jupiter in 9 days since Jupiter has slow orbital period which makes their coordinates to be stable"

"Good job, Ami!" Artemis complimented which made the Mercurian blushed a little.

"I… I'm not quite sure with that plan", Minako suddenly announced.

"Why?" Usagi asked, surprise as the others.

"Don't you think is a little coincidence? Elliros and my- I mean Alystair planned on taking over Venus and attacking Moon at the same time as Makoto's departure for Jupiter"

"What do you mean, Minako?" Usagi kept asking the Venusian.

All eyes stared at the Venusian as she was hesitant for while before she decided to speak her mind, "Back then when Rei and I fought in Diana Temple, Makoto came in contact with the Kunoichi, speaking in Motonian. It was a sacred language that has been lost for years and only to be discovered again by Mercurian and used in Royal families. It was a little surprising to have our enemies speaking with it. I did not hear them clearly but somehow, I have the feeling that Makoto knew them"

"What are you suspecting?"

"They could be from Royal families like ours to be able to learn about Motonian…"

"They are the Motonian Tribe", Ami suddenly answered.

They all looked at Ami with disbelieve on their face. Minako was the first one to say it, "What?"

"The Kunoichi is the sacred warrior of the Motonian tribe"

Still surprised by the revelation, Minako was not planning to hide her suspicion. "I thought you said you didn't know anything about the Motonian?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Minako… I was afraid that you might suspect Makoto"

"So Makoto and the Kunoichi are related?"

"No… More likely the Jovian is related to the ancient tribe of Motonian", Ami explained which raised questioning looks from the others.

"B-but they were extinct long before our civilization exists. How can they be related to Jovian?" Artemis retorted.

"They didn't extinct. In fact, the Jovian royal families are half-blood Motonian"

"What? That's impossible! We never knew any of this!"

"You wouldn't know, no one knows except the Jovian's royal families. By co-exist with the Jovian, they decided to be erased from the history of our civilization"

"Did Makoto tell you all of this?" Minako asked although she was still surprised with the new facts.

The bluenette did not response right away. They could see she was hesitating at first but she was not planning to be quiet for long. "No, she didn't. I accidently heard it when she was talking to her mother few years back. She didn't know that I know…"

"But hiding such fact… They are protecting them for what reason?"

"I wouldn't call it protecting… It was more like imprisonment" Minako injected. "It's not them that they are trying to protect… They are protecting something else… It could be something bad"

"Makoto couldn't be involved in something bad. We all know her, she's our friend. We just have to trust her", Ami sudden heated up taken everyone aback.

"I know you don't want to be disappointed, Ami but we have to ask ourselves why she didn't say anything about Kunoichi… She could be part of the plan" Minako said bitterly.

"I know Makoto and I know that she will never betray us!" Ami's sudden burst out surprised everyone.

But the Venusian did not stop at that. Somehow she coult not digest the faith that Ami had for Makoto. The thoughts of it made her feeling sickened. "She has been lying to us from the start, Ami! Why can't you see that she's hiding the truth from us? It means that she didn't trust us so why should we trust her?"

"I don't care because Makoto is our friend! Our comrade! Our confidant! Why can't you see it, Minako? Is everything has to be so bitter and painful to you? That's why you could never trust anyone! That's why you could never forgive Rei!" Realizing her bewilderment, Ami's face turned red. "I-I'm sorry…"

Then, Ami exited the room leaving everyone in silence. As for Minako, she was taken aback by the assertion which made her think back of what she was just saying.

"What should we do now?" Artemis asked.

"I don't know…" Minako answered frankly. She looked confused as the others for different reason.

"We don't have much time…"

"I know that!" The Venusian snapped putting the rest into silence again. "Can you excuse me…"

Without waiting the others to respond, Minako just left the room.

-c-

_Eyes closed but sleep would not come to her. She felt the warmth surrounded her little body, protecting her as if coldness never exists. She did not know what it was but she did not want it to disappear. She wanted nothing more than keeping her eyes closed and securely laid still._

_Suddenly, a sound registered in her brain. It was a song and a familiar one. She could not remember where she heard it but definitely she could not be mistaken. Somehow her heart recognized each and every word of it, and brought calmness to her as the tune followed by a gentle rocking. _

_I've waited all of my life  
For the day when love appears;  
Like a fairy tale in days of old  
To be rescued from my fears_

And now, suddenly she walks in like a dream  
And how, can I tell her how much she meant to me?  
My heart stands still as she comes...

Oh starry night  
Is she the one that I dream of?  
Oh starry night,  
Tell me, is she my true love?

Is she the one that I dream of?  
Oh starry night,  
How will I know?  
Will her love show?  
Is she my true love?

_When the song ended and so did the rocking, she felt a gentle and warm caress on her cheek._

"_I love you, my little angel", it was the same voice that haunted her for as long as she could remember, every time telling her the same thing._

"_Reiko…" _

_The girl was surprised when she heard her name. The voice continued to call her over and over again, and Reiko slowly opened her eyes but haziness was the only thing she recognized before white light took over. _

"Reiko… Reiko…"

The little girl opened her eyes again and realized it was a dream. Then she noticed her blond friend who was looking worried. "Minako?"

"Why are sleeping here in the Queen's room? You shouldn't be here"

Reiko remembered that she was not in her own bed. In fact, she fell asleep while watching over Serenity. "I'm sorry. I just want to see Nene…"

Minako looked at the sleeping queen for a moment and Minako could feel her curiosity stirred up. "Nene is your grandmother, right?"

Reiko was not answering instead only gave a simple nod. But her silence was not for long. "Is she a Queen?"

"She was… In fact, she is Usagi's mother"

"Nene never told me that", Reiko said as Minako noticed the disappointment in her voice. "Why she doesn't want to be Queen again?"

It was the very question that they wanted to know and no one had the answer except for Serenity herself. "Let's talked about some other time, okay? Beside, Nene needs rest and so do you"

"I'm fine. I've slept the whole night", Reiko answered sullenly. Clearly, the disappointment was still there but it did not stop Minako from taking her hand and slowly pulling her to the door.

"Be a good girl, okay Reiko?" Minako smiled kindly to the little girl.

Although she still had her pout, Reiko just complied and followed Minako. The walk was quiet but Minako did not mind since she too had a lot of things going on in her mind. She did not expect to find Reiko in the queen's room. Minako was hoping that she could have a moment with her but she should have known that the queen probably would be asleep and even if she awakes, it would not be right for her to demand answers to her questions.

"Minako…"

Minako was startled when Rei called her all of the sudden. "Yes?"

"Nene is my grandmother; does that mean that Usagi is my mother?"

The simple question placed Minako into silence corner again. She could not deny it or say otherwise. Along their way, pieces of the mystery began to gather but none of them were giving them answers.

"I… don't think she is your mother… I would have known if she did have a child"

It was silence again. Minako knew the girl have been even more disappointed and confused. As they reached the room where Reiko was resting before, they saw the dim room with untidy single bed and a small lamp on the nightstand which looked exactly the same as any other room in the spaceship. Minako led the little girl inside and Reiko followed without complaining.

"Do you want to eat something?" Minako asked as they approached the bed.

"I already have some", Reiko replied in short.

"Really? When?"

"I woke up because I was hungry so I went to eat"

"Why didn't you go and find me?"

"I was going to but then I found the dining room first so I grabbed something to eat. But the food was disgusting so I only ate a little", Reiko gave a disgusting expression which made Minako laugh.

"I know… we will have real food soon so let's bear with it for a while", Minako replied as tucked the girl into bed. In a spur of moment, she remembered the scene when Alystair tried to kidnap Reiko and the mysterious glow. She felt it was the time to ask, "Reiko, do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"What?"

"Yesterday… When you fell from the plane… What happened to you and Alystair?" The Venusian carefully asked.

Reiko kept looking at Minako and her amethyst eyes were telling her she had no idea of what she was talking. "I don't know…"

"Did you feel any pain? Did he do something to you?"

"No, he didn't… I only remember that I was trying to fight back", Reiko gave a straight-forward answer and Minako was already about to give up when the little girl blurted, "But then, that light appeared again…"

"That light?" Minako asked in confusion. "You mean, it happened before?"

"Yeah… When Rei and I were trying to escape and jumped down from the spaceship where you found us afterwards, that light appeared too…"

"What is it, Reiko?"

"I don't know… It always brings to this pool of bright stones and I saw myself in one of them… it also showed me random voices and images of people that I don't recognize… "

"Did Rei know?"

"No… I never tell her… Is something wrong with me?" Reiko asked worriedly.

Seeing the little girl's expression, Minako decided to push away her curiosity and reassured the girl with a smile. "You are fine. It's might be just a dream. Now, let's tuck you in properly"

Reiko did not argue back and quietly lied on the bed but she looked at Minako as if something was bothering the little girl's mind. "Minako…"

"Yes? Do you need anything?"

"I want to ask you something"

"Go ahead", Minako answered readily.

"How does it feel to have a mother?"

It was a question that Minako was not ready for. She did not expect the girl to ask her that but she understood the little girl's yearn for a mother. Minako gave another smile and began telling her. "It felt like being truly love and cherish by someone"

"Like what?"

The memory of her mother surfaced and Minako began to recall her childhood memories. "Whenever something made me cried or scared because of bad dream, she would always be there, keeping me safe. When I fell on the ground, she would lend me her hand and comfort me when I was in pain. When I was sick, she would always take care of me and kissed me on the forehead, whispering how much she love me"

"How is your mother's looks like, Minako?"

"She was kind and loving mother. She was the most beautiful woman I ever knew and always smiling to everybody except when she hated someone", Reiko giggled and Minako smiled at the little girl's reaction before she continued, "She was very responsible and always very protective of her friends, especially Serenity-sama"

"Nene knew her?"

"Yes, they have been friend ever since they were young"

"Is she like Nene?"

"I think they are… Both of them are kind, beautiful, responsible and protective. Sometimes, even Serenity-sama always had been very protective of me", Minako smiled for a moment as she recalled the time when she made her mother angry and Queen Serenity tried to calm the angry woman as she hugged little Minako or at the time when her training in Moon began, sometimes she cried when she felt lonely and the queen would be by her side comforting her. "She is like a second mother to me"

"Can you have more than one mother?"

Minako laughed at the innocent question. "You can have as many mothers as you want. But the important thing is that a mother is not just a role or someone who gave birth to you but also a person who raise you and nurtures you with patience, who keeps you safe all the time, who gives you her love unconditionally. I think Nene is like a mother to you as well"

"Do you think so?" Reiko responded as she gave a loud yawning sound.

"Listen, Reiko, Nene loves you like you are her own child. I know that you want to know someone who has given birth to you, to know how or why they conceived you. It's normal that you are curious but sometimes we are too indulged in finding the truth that we forgot people who have cared for us", Minako paused as every word she said reflected back on herself. The thought of her friends came to her and somehow, the heavy burden on her shoulder felt lighter than before.

"I love Nene too"

Minako smiled softly as she saw the girl was trying to respond with eyes half-opened. "You are not alone. You already have Nene, Lulu and Artie, and you also have Usagi, Ami, Makoto and me"

"Rei too?"

The name always struck Minako the hardest and as much as she wanted to hate Rei for many reasons but she could not help how her heart kept racing every time by just thinking of her. But her thoughts were interrupted when she felt an object gently hit her lap. Minako turned to see Reiko already asleep.

Slowly, Minako stood from her seat and properly tucked the girl in her bed. She gave one last kiss on the petit fore head before she went to turn off the lights and left the room.

It was a surprise when she saw Usagi leaning against the wall outside the room. The young Queen smiled when she saw Minako. "Reiko has gone to sleep?"

"Yeah… What are you doing here, Usagi?"

"Of course I'm waiting for you"

Minako did not answer the young Queen. Instead, she felt guilty about the whole thing that happened earlier. "Usagi… I'm sorry…"

"I think that apology should go to Ami and Artemis… I understand that everybody is under pressure but we can't start fighting against each other right in this current situation"

"You are right", Minako said sheepishly. She was amazed at how mature Usagi has been and she could not help feeling anything but proud. "Thank you, Usagi"

"Don't thank me yet. I have a punishment for you"

"Punishment?"

"Yes…" Usagi turned around and started walking along the corridor as she signed the Venusian to follow her.

They were walking in tow quietly and Minako began to think what sort of punishment she had to go through. It was not for long before they reached the door at the end of the corridor and they went inside a huge room filled with tables and chairs neatly arranged.

Minako looked at Usagi in wonder, "Are you going to punish me in the cafeteria?"

"Yes…" Then, they stopped at a round table of five with two dinner plates served on the table. "You will be my company for supper"

"Supper?"

"I know you've been avoiding us and you did not take Ami's suggestion. If she knew, you will be in big trouble", Usagi said as she led herself seating at one of the chair with one dinner plates in front of her.

Hearing the Mercurian name, suddenly Minako was overwhelmed by guilt. "Makoto is one of our own and my best friend but I couldn't help feeling all these insecurities… I shouldn't have doubt her"

"Minako, everything will be alright… You just need to believe it"

"How can you know for sure?"

"I don't… We could never predict what the future will be but we have to believe there is something good out of it"

The Venusian just kept looking at Usagi and gave a soft smile, "I kept forgetting how mature have you become but inside, you are still our Usagi… You always have faith in everything and surprisingly, it always works"

Usagi just giggled, "It's because I have faith in us…"

"Even Rei?" Minako asked skeptically.

"Yes…" Usagi answered without slightest doubt. "You haven't visited her"

Minako turned attention away from her friend, trying to avoid eye contact. She did not want to answer Usagi. In fact, she did not want to have Rei in her thought at all. She grabbed the cutleries and began to eat.

Right after the first spoon, Minako started to make unpleasant expression before she swallowed her food. "I kept forgetting how DISGUSTING the food is"

It gave Usagi another thing to giggle about. "We will reach Jupiter soon, let's bear with it"

It was the same thing that Minako told Reiko few hours ago but still, she could not stand the food. It was beyond edible. "I can't believe that anyone could survive weeks from eating this"

Usagi kept laughed at her friend's pouting face but at the end, they ate everything on their plate before they will die of hunger. Although it was distasteful, the conversation went well after. The young Queen decided to push the previous topic aside. When they finished eating, the door opened showing Ami came in.

Tension rose as the Venusian and Mercurian exchanged looks but it did not bother Usagi at all. The young Queen waved at Ami, calling her over. "Ami! Come and seat with us"

Ami nodded and came over the table. When she went to take a seat on the Queen's other side, Usagi stopped her.

"Do you mind if I sit right there instead?" Usagi asked for the seat which confused Ami.

"Alright, I can move over here", Ami moved further down but stopped again by Usagi.

"No, Ami, you can sit in my place", Usagi offered her place right beside Minako.

They knew where this is heading and Ami politely refused, "It's alright, Usagi"

"I'll be leaving as well. I've finished my meal anyway", Minako already stood up, trying to escape from Usagi's plan

"No, you're not!" Usagi snapped as the other two were taken aback by the Queen's sudden gesture. "You are going to seat there and solve whatever problem between the two of you. I'm not going to seat around for another 12 days with both of you not talking to each other!"

Both Ami and Minako quickly took their designated seat and left Usagi alone for the time being. It was quiet between the two since they did not know where to start.

"Have you eaten, Ami?" Usagi tried to break the silence.

"Yes, Usagi. I already had them before", Ami responded in tensionless voice. "Although I didn't fancy it too much"

"I agree. Another bite of it, I will get nauseous", Usagi replied. "Remember the time when we had our training? How we all used to complain about it?"

"Yes. It was during our first training on the spaceship and both of you almost didn't eat for the first week and got sick afterward", Ami added.

"Remember when Makoto asked to have a whole kitchen to be built inside the spaceship? And thanks to her, we were able to pass our training without undernourishment", Minako finally joined the conversation. Ami did not respond but both of them shared a smile as they recalled the old times. "Ami, I'm her friend too, that's what I've always thought and can you imagine how I felt knowing she was not telling the truth all this time? But I realize as well that each of us has something that we don't want others to know and it is selfish of me to even have the thought that she is a bad friend… I'm sorry…"

The smile on Ami's face disappeared and she only kept her sight down to her meal. "That's what I feared of"

"Ami?" Minako looked at the Mercurian although she was not looking, still staring down and now with tearful eyes.

"I trust her… I trust her so much that I don't want that trust to be betrayed… I refuse to know it… I can't accept it…" Every word from Ami's lips was filled with emotion that she could no longer contain.

Minako looked away for a moment and only came to stare at her two hands clasped together. The feeling reminded her of herself few years back. "None of us want to believe that we have been betrayed by someone we love… it destroyed everything that we believed in… it felt so hurt that you wish to never know them… You wish to hate them… But you just can't… "

Both Ami and Usagi were staring at the Venusian as they captured the pain Minako's words. It was spilling from her lips as if she was reading from a text engraved in her soul and they knew to whom the feeling spoken was for.

"Minako…" Ami called her as she placed her hand on Minako's hands.

Minako turned to Ami and her which Mercurian returned gladly. "I believe in Makoto… She would never do this to us, I just know it"

"I know, Minako… But I think you should do something about your feeling", Ami felt the Venusian pulling away and gave unsure looks.

"I think you should give Rei a chance", Usagi suddenly added.

"I don't know…" Minako answered with the same hesitation as her looks.

Although Minako did not tell them but they knew those untold feelings that she still has for Rei. They knew that it was not easy for Minako. It was not easy for them either but what both the Venusian and the Martian shared was different from the rest of them and it was not easy to repair those broken links.

"You should rest now, Minako"

"But…"

"No 'but'! You are sleep deprive and you need to rest which you should have done hours ago!" Ami scolded.

"Please, Minako, we have to be at our best condition and we can't afford to have someone down in this situation", Usagi joined in the conversation saving Minako before Ami could throw more tantrums to her.

It was not like Minako to give up but she did it. There was no energy left out of her to argue. The Venusian tried to look still but nothing could escape Ami's eyes.

"You don't look so good, Minako. You should rest N-O-W"

Minako just nodded in obey and stood from her seat without saying anything or even move her lips.

"I'll go with you. I need to see how my mother is"

"Let me do it. I know you are tired since you haven't been sleeping properly. Please, have some rest", hearing the request, Usagi did not dispute back but a little hesitant to agree. The Mercurian knew her Queen so well and reassured her, "We have everything under control, Usagi. Do not worry"

Usagi was still hesitant to leave her mother side although just for the time being but at last, she nodded in agreement and gave a grateful smile. "Thank you, Ami"

"You are most welcome", Ami smiled as she slowly retreated with Minako in tow.

When the two princesses left the cafeteria, Usagi was alone with her own thoughts. No one might notice the distraught on her face earlier since Luna mentioned about her mother's secret lover who could be her father at the same time. Her heart had been aching ever since. It was painful to know the fact that her mother has been keeping it in secret for all these years and left her for him without even telling her the truth. But no words formed describing all of those feelings inside her. Ever since her world began to crumble down with the devastating war, the lost of her mother and Rei, the sadness of her friends and her people, and grueling truths began to uncover by itself, pain was the only thing she could feel but not to be told. As years passing by, it never went away, only grew even stronger and dragging her deeper into it.

"Usagi-sama?"

Usagi was surprised by the voice. She did not hear it coming and when she turned around, she found her guardian was already staring at her with a tray of food in her hands. "L-Luna"

"Why are you crying?"

At first, Usagi did not understand what Luna said until she noticed strange sensation upon her cheeks. She brought her hand to her face and felt the liquid all over. She quickly wiped them off as she replied to Luna, "N-nothing"

Luna did not respond. She only approached the chair beside Usagi and asked, "May I?"

"Please, have a seat"

The guardian pulled the chair and placed her tray on the table before seated beside the young Queen. She did not say anything and only focused on her meal. Usagi gave a mix stare to Luna. She was relieved that she was not being interrogated but she felt anxious at the same time as if she had been doing something bad and waiting for her punishment.

"How can anyone contently be having this kind of meal?" Luna commented dryly.

Instead of receiving the punishment, Usagi just giggled. "Trust me, you're not the only one complaining"

"I guess there is just something that never changed"

"Yeah… I'll have the food management to be revised. Soldiers march with their stomach, right?" The small interaction put Usagi back at ease. The young Queen smiled at how she was reminded to the time when the last time she was having Luna around her. Five years felt like decades ago. The guardian is like a mother to her and her confidant until then. It saddened her when she lost both of her mother and Luna.

Luna gave a gentle look at the Queen's remark and smiled with satisfaction. "You have grown to be a decent Queen…"

Usagi blushed a little at the compliment and replied lightly, "Well, it is not an easy job"

However, Luna did not take her answer lightly. The guardian stayed silence with serious look on her face yet sad at the same time. "I'm sorry for what you've been through… You don't deserve all of those hardships alone. I wish I was there to protect you"

The smile on Usagi's face did not disappeared but it changed into softer smile. She took Luna's hands in hers and gave a gentle grip. "I'm not alone, Luna… I have my friends with me and they are the reason I'm still here today… I don't want to be protected. I want to protect the people I love and now, I have Mother, you and Artemis by my side, and I have more reason to fight. It made me stronger"

Luna felt her eyes a little moist but decided not to let herself in tears. "I promise you, Usagi-sama, I'll never leave your side again"

"Thank you, Luna", Usagi went to hug her guardian who was not expected by Luna but she returned it gladly. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying their reunion. "I'm really happy that you're back"

"I'm glad to be back, Usagi-sama", Luna replied happily.

Usagi pulled away, trying to remove her tears. "I'm sorry... I don't think I've overcome my crybaby-ness"

"Well, there's just something that never change", Luna gave a small smile while helping the young Queen wiped her tears.

"Thank you, Luna"

"You are foremost welcome", it was not long before all the tears were gone and Usagi was back to her usual self. Then, Luna pulled out something and gave out her hand, "Usagi-sama, please accept this"

It was a piece of paper, an envelope with one edge neatly tore open. Usagi looked at Luna surprise. "Is it the letter?"

"Yes… I think you are mature enough to have this", Usagi did not react at first. She was just staring at the envelope, not even moving to take it. "If you don't want, it's fine-"

"No, I'll have it…" Usagi quickly took the letter. Once she had it in her hand, she continued to stare at it. Luna just kept her eyes on the Queen, waiting for her to ask questions. But the questions never came. "Thank you, Luna"

Usagi stood up and left the cafeteria with the letter clutched tightly in her chest.

-c-

Minako was alone in the corridor feeling irritated. Ami finally agreed to leave her walking to her own room without supervision. It took a while before she managed to convince the Mercurian that she would go to her own room. She did not blame Ami for giving her such a hard time since she had always been careless when it came to her own health. But Minako decided not to play hooky this time because she was not feeling well. She felt the soreness had gotten into her nerve and her stomach somehow felt a little queasy. She just knew that she needed to hit the bed and rest.

Although filled with sort of uncomfortable moods, Minako made it to her room. She was about to enter her room when she had thought about Reiko. The little girl's room was just across hers.

"_Wouldn't hurt just to see her, right?" _Minako thought and so she moved away from the door when across the corridor. She entered Reiko's room and stood by the door as she surveyed the room inside. The girl was sleeping with a different position from before but she did not see anything significant. Then, Minako contently retreated.

"Nnn… No…."

The Venusian stopped when she heard a voice and went to see inside again. "Reiko?"

The call was not replied but she continued to hear the voice, it was like a mumble and this time, it was louder. "No… Help…"

It was clear enough that it belonged to Reiko. Minako went inside and looked at the girl who had her eyes closed but was helplessly stirred around. It seemed that she was having a nightmare.

"Reiko, wake up-" Minako grasped the small girl's hand and suddenly her surrounding became dark as if the lights were out but she it did not. She knew this familiar feeling and then, an image emerged inside her head.

_In the dark surrounding, Minako found herself standing in the middle of nowhere with only tall trees and bushes in sight. The gentle breeze caressed through her skin but she did not feel the cold at all. Then the she heard rustles in the bushes and saw a figure in black robe coming out of it, running pass her. It was the same black robe she saw in her dream before and Minako was sure it was the same person as before._

"_Mama!" But the figure did not hear the shout and kept running. Without thinking twice, Minako followed her. "Mama! Wait!"_

_They kept running in tow through the forest and even though Minako tried to call her mother, Annako did not seem to hear anything as if Minako was invisible. It was not the only thing that bothered her. When she was running, the ground felt like empty as if she was floating. When the tall trees disappeared from the scene, she finally saw her mother had stopped running. She stopped just right behind her and she got the sight of a complete darkness as they were standing at the edge of a cliff, a dead end._

_The distraction was not for long when another sound came to Minako's attention. The noise grew louder and fast. When she listened to it closely, she heard people shouting altogether with thundering hooves. Before she warned her mother, the woman already turned around and a group of cavalry had appeared right in front of them. _

"_Give us what we want and you shall be left alive", one of the cavaliers stepped up and ordered coldly behind his helmet. The voice was familiar to Minako ._

"_How dare to speak like that to the Venusian Queen!" Minako shouted back angrily but the man did not hear or even see her. In anger, she stormed forward and jumped at the man but the tackle failed and Minako ended up on the ground, crashing into the debris. She could not get him. She went through him like a ghost. "W-what?"_

_In the state of shock, Minako could see her mother from the opposite side. She was looking at them with pride and calmness. Then, she saw Annako's arms were circled around some kind of bundle and tightened around it._

"_Never", Annako calmly said as she stepped further back to the edge. When the cavalier jumped down from his horse and tried to catch her, it was too late._

"_MAMA! NO!" Minako screamed and quickly followed to the edge beside the cavalier but her mother already disappeared into the bottomless abyss._

"_Where is she?"_

_Minako straight away recognized the voice and turned around to find a masked man on his horse just appeared among the cavaliers._

"_She jumped down, My Lord!" The cavalier beside Minako spoke._

"_Elliros, you fool! Go and pursue whatever left of her! I don't need her! I just need the baby!" The masked man screamed angrily._

_The name struck Minako and as she looked closely to the face behind the helmet, she was not mistaken. It was the five years younger version of Elliros._

"_Yes, My Lord", Elliros ran to his horse right away and then flee to the scene with cavaliers._

_The masked man did not left and was left alone. He took off his mask and Minako surprised to see Alystair's face resurfaced. The last thing she remembered of him was his painful expression._

_Suddenly, she began to feel something. It was the first sensation she felt throughout the scene and she almost lost the feeling of it. The sensation was crawling upon her hand. It was warm and comforting._

Minako realized she was not in the cliff anymore. She had gone back to Reiko's room where she was still sitting by the bed beside the sleeping child. To her surprise, she was not alone.

"R-Rei?" In the dimmed surrounding, Minako could see Rei's amethyst eyes staring at hers. The raven was standing beside her. The mysterious sensation was none other than from another hand placed on top of her hand as Reiko's underneath hers. It was belonged to Rei.

"Bad dream?"

"What?"

"Does Reiko have a bad dream?" The raven asked again and from the tone, she was clearly worried.

"Oh, I think so…" Minako was a little lost. She could not distinguish between the reality and the strange vision. Both were as real as her brain could think they were.

Then, she was startled when Reiko was suddenly pulling her little hand along with Minako and Rei's hands on top closer to her petite body. The little blond's face looked as if she was in pain and began to mumble incoherently. "..'ou… brin' tis 'pon 'ouself… An-na-ko..."

Minako froze the moment her mother's name hit her and she was reminded to the scene she saw previously. She was left confuse and shock to discover the truth. All this time, she always hated her people for causing the death of her mother but unknown to her it was not the people who created the raid that night. It was by her father. Her mother had been double-crossed and Minako foolishly believed it.

The Venusian pulled her hand away and rushed out all of the sudden which surprised Rei.

"M-Minako?" Rei turned her head around, surprised by the abrupt action. Gently, she placed Reiko's hand back to the bed before she pursued the blond woman outside.

When she got outside, the blond woman was not around but Rei caught a glimpse of blond hair running to the right corridor. "Minako!"

Rei ran after the blond and it did not take long before the raven could catch up. She grabbed Minako's arm and pulled her to stop. Minako did not fight back and stopped in her track. The raven could hear her crying from behind.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" No answer was given by the blond as she continued to cry. But Rei was not going to give up. She moved to in front of Minako and looked at her face-to-face as placed both of her hands on Minako's shoulder. "Minako, look at me"

Minako did not listen. She kept facing down the flooring with her hand clasped tightly on her mouth trying to stop herself from crying but failed miserably.

"Mina", the crying stopped when she heard her name called. It was only Rei who called her that long time ago. Then she felt a hand slip through her cheek, gently lift her face up. There she saw the amethyst eyes looking at her kindly. "Please… Don't cry…"

Their eyes gazed into each other and in that moment, Rei saw the Venusian strong façade has finally breaking down, leaving Minako vulnerable. However, being in openness did not make Minako feeling weak like she expected. Instead, she felt comfortable under the raven's gaze and safe. She could not help falling into her kindness.

"All this time, I always wanted to be strong, at least I tried to… but for what reason?" Her voice was hoarse but composed. Yet, Minako sounded weak. "My parents lied to me… People lied to me… I'm tired of being lied…"

Rei did not follow what the blond was saying. "Mina, what happened? Tell me?"

"I-I don't know, Rei… I tried to understand myself and the more I tried to comprehend, the more I got scared"

"What are you scared of?"

"The truth…" Minako simply answered.

"You are not the only one…" Rei reassured as her hand crawled to the blond's cheek, caressed it softly while kept gazing at each other. "I've been there and I know it's painful to find out… When I saw your look in Venus… Pained… Betrayed… Just disappointment… I couldn't stand it, Mina… I would have killed myself if it had not been for Luna and Artemis came to rescue… But what really saved me was you"

"Me?" Minako looked at Rei surprised.

Rei smiled at Minako and nodded in affirmation. "Yes. You, Mina. All this time, I never believe in myself… I ran away because I never had the guts to find out the truth… to justify what is right or wrong… I gave up on myself… Then, you said you trust me when we were in Venus and then, I knew, something changed in me. Something that I have forgotten because of my cowardice... The will to live. I want to fight my insecurities and I want to protect those who I loved…"

Before Minako managed to say anything, Rei already took her in her arms embracing her. "Let me make it up to you, Mina. Let me be there for you, to support you always… I love you…"

Minako stunned before the raven after hearing the confession. Her face showed a mix reaction between upset and content. She wanted to say something but she could not when enchanted by the amethyst eyes and Rei's warm breath somehow intoxicated her.

All of the sudden Minako stopped on her track and pulled away. Her face was clearly pale face. The raven confused at first but noticed the sudden uneasiness in her expression. "Mina, are you-"

Before Rei managed to ask the blond properly, Minako abruptly leaned forward and vomited.

**Author's note:**

O_o

I'm sorry for taking a very very very long time to update! I'm running out of excuse but I'm super busy with my work and could hardly find time to write. Anyhow, thanks guys for your awesome review! And by the way **Da Pyro's Love-san**, the Alystair that was in the spacecraft last chapter is not fake king. He is King Alystair who married to the late Queen Annako (Minako's mother) and who should have been Minako's father but he is not her father. Well, everybody has parents' issues so find the answer later :)

Thanks again guys and see you again!


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